


Your Favorite Worst Nightmare (Zuko X Reader)

by orphan_account



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Ba Sing Se, Childhood Trauma, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, There Is No War In Ba Sing Se, Zuko (Avatar) Angst, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:00:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 41,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25132024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A skilled and intelligent bounty hunter with a mysterious past gets hired to finally hunt down and kill the avatar. But, instead of finding who she is looking for, she finds a stranger injured in the woods. This nomad, however, is not exactly the earth kingdom refugee he makes out to be.
Relationships: Zuko (Avatar) & Reader, Zuko (Avatar)/Reader
Comments: 38
Kudos: 190





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work can also be found on my quotev!! I'll try to update it everyday but, of course, I may miss deadlines every now and then!

It was quiet.

Doing work for all three nations at once had it's perks, even if it meant spending long, cold nights alone with nothing but a small fire to keep you warm. Your job was unpredictable and dangerous. Risky but rewarding. Dangerous and thrilling.

Everything you could ever ask for in life.

Usually, though, your job wasn't quite as hard as it had been the past few months. Nobody ever said hunting one of the most wanted criminals in the fire kingdom would be easy, but, the money alone would be worth the wild goose chase.

What made your job way harder? Well, during a skirmish with some earth kingdom soldiers you had lost your scrolls with the criminal's identities on them. Considering it was enemy territory, they didn't exactly have wanted posters laying around of that person, nor did anyone really want to get involved no matter how many gold pieces you threw on the table.

You only knew one thing about the person.

He was an airbender, and the avatar.

He had been nearly impossible for you to find thus far, and you were getting a bit desperate. The firelord had hired you as a last resort, considering you had been arrested more times than you could count for sneaking into prisons and other acts of thievery. 

It was strange to think about how just three months before you were locked up in a fire nation prison, the Boiling Rock, whistling old songs from your childhood as you sat back and picked fights with the prison guards. You would never forget the day you were suddenly escorted out of the prison and sent back to the fire kingdom.

"What am I doing here exactly?" You asked, eyeing the massive, slightly melodramatic castle swarming with soldiers and militia, handcuffed and closely guarded by five prison guards. "No ones telling me anything."

"You are one of the most expirienced and skilled thieves in the fire nation, correct?"

"You tell me, you're the one that arrested me."

The unknown guard rolled his eyes, "the firelord wants to see you." The man answered, "he wants to have a talk."

It wasn't long after that before you were unhandcuffed and brought into the castle. You were dragged through multiple hallways before you entered the strange corridor that could only be the throne room. 

Now, you were known for your ability to stay calm and collected in these types of situations, that's how you managed to scratch and claw your way up the fire nation wanted list, but this? This was a whole new type of crazy. You were standing in the throne room of the firelord, everyone's eyes on you as even your heart rate started to pick up with anxiety. The atmosphere felt bright and intense as Firelord Ozai stared down at you with a look that was anything but friendly.

"So," you started, crossing your arms as you pushed back your instinct to bolt. "You gonna kill me or what? Why am I here?"

Ozai narrowed his eyes. You knew he didn't take kindly to rude introductions, what was no secret, but oh did that dissatisfied look on his face give you so much joy. You smirked. A murmur rose around the room as the soldiers waited for Ozai's response at your blatant rudeness and dishonor. But your disregard of respect for authority was nothing new for the soldiers keeping you restrained.

"I have a deal I wish to propose to you," the firelord said, his voice flat but intimidatingly loud as he brushed off your severe lack of an introduction. "I have a firm belief that you will be of help in aiding to find the avatar."

"Yeah?" You blew a strand of hair out of your face. "What's in it for me?"

"You will be exempt from prison and considered a hero to our great nation." Ozai explained, "a prodigy as well as a job as my personal assassin."

Your eyes flashed and an excited smirk spread up your face, "well, great Firelord Ozai." You bowed, "you have a deal. But..." You looked up again, "I'm afraid we both know I am loyal to no kingdom in this war. I will capture the avatar, but in secret. No one will know about this."

Ozai furrowed his brow and hummed, "very well then." He stated, "I will provide you with anything that may help you on your journey. I expect you to not return unless it is with what I've been promised."

"Thank you, sir." You bowed again, respectfully, "but I do my best work on my own accord and with my own supplies. I will bring you the avatar."

But, low and behold, you were failing.

And it exhilarated you.

There was an odd sense of adrenaline that came with the growing promise of failure. Not knowing what was about to happen, getting so close and then just missing your chance to find who you're looking for; it was a challenge. A fight. And if there was anything you loved more than the thrill of the hunt, it was a challenging one. Too many times now did you just barely have the Avatar in your grasp before he left again. The Blue Spirit, however, was still no where to be found.

You shifted in and out of consciousness, the small, spitting flame in front of you crackled and snapped in the dark, warming up your tired body after days of travelling on foot and alone through the earth kingdom woods. 

You sighed and leaned your head back against the shallow cave walls, "two days." You said quietly to yourself. "Two days of travel until the next city."

The sound of rain repetitively hitting the outside of your small tent and the far off sound of thunder only furthered your desire to sleep as you eventually drifted off, thinking of what you will do after finding the avatar.

Sometime during the night, you heard a human-like groan coming from outside your shelter. A desperate and pained one--someone nearby was injured. Obviously, it was enough to scare you upright.

You held your breath as you continued to listen for another one through the rain outside, your hand tightly gripping the sword at your waist as you listened for any sign of danger. A quiet, unsteady set of footsteps could be heard outside in the woods.

Csh. Csh. Csh. Sch.

You lifted your foot to step outside your shelter just as a quick rustle of leaves and underbrush suggested the stranger had collapsed. Quickly sheathing your sword again, you stepped outside into the pitch-blackness of the forest.

"Who's there?" You questioned confidently. "Face me now and maybe I'll think twice about decapitating you."

The only reply was a quick flash of lightning followed by a distant rumble of thunder.

Cautiously, you looked around. Listening for any sign that this may be a trick before leaving the safety of your cave. The night was quiet and tranquil, and brighter now that the sun was threatening to rise as rain gently pelted against your head and shoulders. You scanned the area before your eyes landed on a figure collapsed against a tree.

You swallowed heavily, approaching the stranger ready to fight at a moment's notice. Your hand stayed tightly clasped around the handle of your sword as the person slowly but surely came into view.

The stranger was around your age--a boy. His arms tightly wrapped around his bleeding torso while a straw hat hid his features. His clothes suggested he was earth kingdom--but you could never be too careful these days. The stranger's breathing was labored and shallow, you knew if you left him out here he would be done for.

You sighed, sliding your sword, once again, back into its place as you pushed the hair from your eyes. Obviously, this unknown teenager wouldn't be a threat, so the least you could do would be to help him out. 

A few grunts left your mouth as you haphazardly dragged the rain-soaked man into your little shelter from the rain, carefully leaning him against the wall before you started your fire back up again. Now that you had some light, you examined him thoroughly.

He had jet black, extremely short hair (an unusual sight for anybody in most kingdoms, considering most people found it easier to simply grow their hair out) with a pale complexion and an angular face half hidden by his hat. An unusual looking stranger, that was for sure, and probably a refugee. Carefully, you laid him down on his back and removed his hat to get a better look.

A ragged, deep, distorted burn scar crossed over his right eye and disappeared near his hairline. You swallowed heavily at the sight, dropping the hat next to you. Sure, burn scars were something common, especially among earth kingdom refugees, but you had never seen anything like that in your life. It was then and there you knew this stranger wasn't who he seemed. But you decided you'd help him, anyway. Some company would be nice.

Carefully checking him over, you discovered what appeared to be a sword wound in his side that was left untreated and unbandaged. It was sloppy but not deep enough to damage anything vital, and stretched from almost the dead-center of his torso to his left side. Blood soaked the front of his tunic, and the wound was at least two days old. Though you couldn't do much about it until the man woke up, you figured some disinfectant and some bandages would help hinder the bleeding.

"Alright, weird guy." You said with a sigh, trying to figure out why this man seemed so vaguely familiar to you. "Let's get you fixed up."


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of birds could be heard chirping profusely outside your shelter as you slowly regained consciousness. Sleep still nagged your brain after many days of travelling without it, but, you had to press on. After treating the stranger's wounds the night before to the best of your ability, you passed out on the ground next to the fire, assuming whoever it was would probably leave before you awoke.

That's why you were so surprised when you saw the stranger had you pinned to the ground with a knife to your throat. His unnervingly orange eyes held a stern and angry expression as you felt the tip of the knife start to break the skin. 

Immediately, you kicked his legs out from under him, before rolling out of the way as he fell to the floor with a loud yelp. You quickly grabbed his wrists and held him to the ground to stop his struggling, your nails drigging into his wrists.

"Let me go!" His voice was just barely there, as if it had been weeks since he had used it. He was a lot stronger than you suspected, too, but still tired from blood loss.

"Stop struggling!" You growled, "your wounds are reopening, idiot!"

Finally, he managed to twist away from your grip and kick you off, sending you painfully against the wall. You let out a groan as the ringing in your ears subsided. The unfamiliar male lifted you by the front of your shirt so that your face was inches away from his.

"Where's my uncle?"

"Your...what?"

"Iroh! Where's Ir--" He winced suddenly, doubling over as his hands traveled to his bleeding side.

"Listen, you must be confused." You said with a sigh, rubbing the now-sore part of your head before sitting up to help him lay down. "I found you outside, unconscious and alone. You're lucky I wasn't a fire nation soldier or you'd be done for."

The nomad was tense, his expression contorted into one of pain as he had himself propped up onto his elbows, hands bloody. You quickly got up to retrieve some water for him, to which he quickly took from you.

Now that you had a better look at his face in the daylight, you got even more of a sense of deja vu. Where the hell have you seen this kid before? Why did he seem so oddly familiar? 

His narrow eyes were brown, and sparkled a bright amber in the sunlight. His complexion was less worrying than it was the night before, though still pretty pale for an Earth kingdom citizen. His body almost seemed to give off it's own heat--well, more heat than the average person. There was no doubt in your head that this teenager was not the Earth Kingdom native he was making out to be. 

For this stranger was a firebender in earth kingdom clothes.

You smirked to yourself slightly as your hand grazed over the handcuffs hidden in a bag at your belt.

Once you've been around the world a few times, you begin to notice little things that set benders apart from one another. Earthbenders were strong and independent; hands usually callused and rough from working with rock. Waterbenders were calm and patient, their skin cold to the touch. Firebenders were reckless, stubborn, and power-hungry, not-to-mention the fact that their temperature was always warmer than the average human's.

It was definetely, without a doubt, suspicious.

"So..." You sighed, running your hands back through your hair to keep it out of your face. "I'm not a healer, but, I did pick up a few things from my family."

"I don't need your help."

You hummed in response, shifting your hand through your bag of first-aid as you ignored his stubbornness, "the wound needs to be cauterized."

"What does that mean?" The stranger asked, drinking the rest of the water you gave him like he was without it for days.

"Burned shut." You answered promptly, taking out one of your many metal pocket knives. "It'll stop the bleeding fast, and remove any infection you gathered from leaving it untreated for god knows how long."

The stranger's eyes flashed with something you couldn't read as he looked away slightly. 

"Don't worry," you said, with a small smile. You mine-as-well gain his trust if the two of you were going to be together for a while. "It won't take long, but it'll hurt."

"Wouldn't be the first time." The male sighed through his nose and went to unfold his shirt. "Just make it quick."

You hummed in response, "guess that's something we have in common." You said, running your hand through your hair as you moved to set up the fire.

The stranger looked up at you questioningly, probably expecting you to say more. You sent him a smile, "the name's (Y\n)." You explained.

With a swift motion, you slid your wrist wrappings and gloves off. Deep red burns snaked up your forearms and across your hands, giving the skin a rough, bumpy texture.

"I've had my fair share of run-ins with the fire Nation." You explained, making eye contact once again with the stranger. "I'm guessing you have, too."

"I'm, uh..."

You shook your head as you slid your finger-less gloves back on, "you don't have to tell me." You reassured him. "Who you are and what you're doing here is your business, not mine. I'm simply here to help a wounded stranger."

He stayed silent for a moment as you retrieved the knife from the flame, scolding hot to the touch. You quietly sat on your knees beside the stranger.

The male was quite obviously in bad shape; though you could see the muscles across his torso were very developed, (which you couldn't help but admire) he was also quite evidently thin and weak from traveling, and covered in small scrapes and bruises. You gently ran your scarred fingers along the edge of his wound, to which he gasped slightly and flinched away as you quickly pulled your hand back, a bit flustered. The two of you made eye contact again, you could tell he was bracing himself for the pain behind his aloof façade.

You looked away and cleared your throat, taking the scolding knife carefully in your hand. "So...this is gonna hurt."

"Yeah, no shit."

You angled the knife towards his wound as you gently pushed his chest back, laying him completely flat on the ground. "Try not to flinch."

The stranger let himself fall back against your pillow. "I won't."

"Right." You retorted, before pressing the blunt end of the hot knife against the entrance to the wound.

"Wait--" The stranger quickly gasped, tensed, and let out a string of curses, but you placed a hand on his chest before he could bolt upright and cause more harm to himself. "Grab my arm." You suggested, "and try to keep your voice down, this'll only take a moment."

Holding his breath and letting his head fall back to the pillow, he did as told. He squeezed your forearm tightly to keep himself from yelling out, nails digging into your skin as you continued dragging the scolding knife across the wound, quickly sealing it without an issue. Finally, you finished, and set the knife aside.

"There, see? Wasn't too bad." You smiled a little. 

The stranger shakily let go of your arm as he took a few breaths, grunting as he tried to sit up. 

"Woah woah woah...not so fast." You gently took him by his shoulders and set him back down, he glared at you. "You need rest, you're still in bad shape."

"Who are you to tell me that?" He replied through clenched teeth.

"The person who saved your life, moron."

It wasn't much longer before you finished cleaning his wounds, the two of you staying mostly silent as you worked. By the time you both ate and he fell asleep, you went out to gather more water for tea. You were surprised to see he was still there when you came back. Maybe you've made a new friend after all.

Bugs chirped and buzzed as animals scuttered around in the forest while the fire crackled in front of you. You took a sip of the tea resting in your burned hands as you continued studying the stranger before you, who was staring at the fire intently, still dozing off from time to time.

The unknown male intrigued you greatly, that was for sure. He was unlike anyone you had ever met. You began theorizing about him in your head, thinking that maybe he was some sort of fire nation spy. Perhaps someone Ozai sent to keep an eye on you. But no. This man seemed too...off. Too secretive.

"Who's Iroh?"

The stranger choked on his tea and let out a few coughs, obviously you struck a nerve. A smirk grew once again on your face as he wiped his mouth on his bloody sleeve.

"What?"

"You heard me." Your thumb traced the rim of your cup with anticipation. "Who's Iroh?"

The black-haired stranger opened his mouth, closed it again, let out a bit of a sigh, and lowered his gaze to the cup in his hands. "He's um...well, a friend."

"You said something about him being your uncle." You stated, sipping your tea. 

"When did I say that?"

"During your freak-out this morning."

He scrunched his nose a bit and cursed under his breath. "Yeah. You heard right." Stranger looked back up at you, "we were traveling together a few weeks back."

"Ah," you nodded. "Did you get separated?"

"No. I ran off." He dropped his gaze again, his eyebrows scrunched together, "it was stupid of me. I don't know what I was thinking."

Iroh was a pretty popular name in the fire nation, so you didn't want to make any assumptions, but the only Iroh that came to mind was General Iroh. The brother of Firelord Ozai and nicknamed The Great Dragon of the West.

But, nevertheless, you shrugged it off as a coincidence.

"How did you end up here, anyway?" You asked, throwing more wood in the fire. "People usually don't just 'appear' here."

The stranger paused for a minute, as if trying to remember, "got into a fight with some soldiers, got my ostrich-horse stolen, decided to press on through the pain to get to the next village."

"You'll get yourself killed doing that."

"Yeah." He sighed, pushing himself to his feet with a grunt. "I know that now."

"Where are you headed?" You asked, rubbing your chilly arms.

He stopped in his tracks, facing away from you now. The animals scuttering around the woods filled the few moments of silence as you stared at the back of his buzzed head.

"I don't know." He replied, quietly. 

His voice sounded confused, like he didn't know where to go from there.

It made your heart sink a little. You knew the feeling.

"You're lost." You stated, a bit sympathetically.

"No," he looked to the north. "I know where I'm going."

"Yeah, but you don't know why, do you?" You continued, looking down at your cup. "You're lost lost."

It was quiet again.

"The closest city is about two or three days north." You sighed, setting the now-empty tea cup down. "You're free to come with me if you want, but, I won't force you. I'm leaving at sunrise."

He hesitated for a while longer, deep in thought. You'd give anything to know what was going through his head at that moment, what he was thinking. What his motives were.

"I'll think about it." He answered, before walking inside.


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't long before you eventually woke up a second time, more peacefully than the last day as it was simply the sunlight leaking in that had awoken you. You groaned and sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from your eyes as the memories of the day before slowly came back to you.

You glanced towards the makeshift bed you had lent the stranger; it was empty. The blankets were folded neatly to the side as if nobody had stayed there to begin with.

It was, once again, unbearably quiet.

A lonely quiet.

A sigh escaped your mouth as you got to your feet, stretching and letting out a yawn before running your fingers through your tangled hair to brush it out. 

"It's past sunrise."

You jumped a little at the familiar voice of a young firebender, before turning to see no other than the stranger in the opening of the cave, his straw hat casting a shadow over his features. You couldn't read his expression, but his face held the tiniest of smiles.

"My bad." You said, rubbing the back of your neck. "I didn't think you'd be coming."

"You asked if I would come," He threw his bag over his shoulder and shrugged. "I said I'd think about it." 

"Yeah, I know. You just didn't strike me as the social type...no offense." 

"None taken." 

A few seconds of awkward silence passed, filled only by the sound of birds and running water from the surrounding forests.

"Um..." You cleared your throat and pointed to your bag of clothes, "I gotta-"

"Oh," Stranger stated awkwardly. "Uh...right. I'll be outside."

"There's two Ostrich-Horses down by the river." You explained, "you can start packing any stuff you have there and I'll meet you down, if you want."

He nodded, before disappearing around the corner. You smiled to yourself a little, content to finally have some company, even if it was just to a small village down the river. You had to admit, it did get pretty lonely, especially back when you had a bounty on your head and had to periodically change your alios.

You quickly got dressed, though it was nothing special. A simple, slightly-baggy green dress-like shirt with your usual wrist wrappings and gloves, with your dark pants and boots.

You grabbed your sword--a sleek, long, light-weight blade made by the finest metals of the fire nation--your prized and most expensive possesion. You traced your finger along the black handle before sliding it into its place at your belt.

After you finished packing what little belongings you had into their respective places, you carried the three bags carefully down to the river. Sure enough, Stranger was there already, nodding a greeting towards you as you slid your supplies up onto the Ostrich-Horse's back.

"Ready when you are." You said, climbing atop the bird's back.

"Ready."

·⇩⇩⇩·

"How's your side doing?" You asked, breaking the awkward silence that plagued the atmosphere for the past two hours you had been travelling. 

"Still hurts," his hand almost involuntarily moved to his wounded side. "But I'll manage."

You hummed in response, "you'll have to change the bandages once or twice a day from here on out, so that it doesn't get infected...but I'm sure you know that already."

"You seem to know a lot about healing."

You shrugged, "ehh, more or less. You tend to pick up a few things when you travel as much as I do."

It fell silent again, the promise of more rain steadily grew in the air as it got more and more humid. But, you could still get a few more hours of travelling in before it started to pour. 

A small river flowed steadily to your right as you kept to the path to ensure you didn't get lost, the Stranger just a bit ahead of you. The water ran quietly down the ditch and seemed to follow the dirt path to its end.

It was when you glanced up to ask Stranger when he wanted to break that you noticed something. 

Two twin dual swords rested on each side of the firebender's waist, nearly hidden by his robes as he continued traveling up the pathway. They were obviously fire nation native, considering you had seen generals and many prison guards carry similar weapons in the past, but that wasn't why they caught your eye.

They were the exact two swords the Blue Spirit used to capture the avatar.

"Nice pair of swords you got there," you commented. "Fire nation?"

His eyes flashed with a moment of panic, and you knew you were getting somewhere. "Ah, yeah. I traded for them." 

You hummed in response, "may I?"

He slid one of the swords out of place and placed it gently in your hand. The craftsmanship was perfect. Sleek, durable, but obviously worn and a bit dented.

"Funny," you smirked. "Ever heard of the Blue Spirit?"

"The ghost that has the fire nation in a panic?" He scoffed a little, avoiding your gaze. "Don't tell me you're one of those people, too."

You studied his expression for any sort of reaction as you handed the sword back. "'Those people'?"

"The Blue Spirit's nothing but a rumor." The firebender squinted a little. "A legend created to give the other nations hope."

Your sighed, "right. You can always rely on a firebender to be a pessimist."

"Hey, I'm not--" he suddenly tensed as his expression paled, his gaze shot towards you with a sudden explosion of panic as he realized what you meant. "How did you figure it out?"

"It's pretty easy to tell if you look close enough, actually," You let out a chuckle at his reaction before settling back on a reassuring smile. "Your eyes are a deep amber color and your skin is paler, for one, which suggests fire nation. As for firebenders their skin is naturally warmer than most, look..."

You held your hand out.

The stranger's gaze switched from your face to your hand, back and forth. Back and forth. Once again, you found it hard to read his expression.

He slowly reached out and touched your hand, his fingers slowly intertwining with your's as something in your heart jumped.

"You're right..." He said, under his breath.

"Don't worry." You assured him. "I won't turn you in."

He pulled his hand away, suddenly yanking on the reigns to pull the Ostrich-Horse to a holt, causing the animal to let out a surprised squawk. Suddenly, he wasn't the quiet stranger you rescued the day before.

"How do I how that for sure?" His gaze was just as desperate and angry as his tone. Something in his voice and expression gave you a petrifying sense of deja vu. Where in the hell have you seen this kid before? "How do I know that you're not just going to report me? Or lead me into a trap?"

Thunder rumbled ominously off in the distance as you pulled your ride to a stop as well. 

You knew that feeling of mistrust all too well, but you didn't dare think on it too much. Rain tapped against your body rheumatically as the sky grew dark, and within seconds a steady rain started to fall.

"Because," you sighed, turning again to meet his worried gazed. "I'm not exactly from here, either."


	4. Chapter 4

The two of you continued riding in silence, though your pace quickened as you walked, your rain-soaked clothes beginning to make you shiver slightly as you continued, though you couldn't find anywhere with shelter that you could possibly camp for the night.

But that was fine, you loved the rain.

It reminded you of home.

The stranger had been quiet ever since you called him out as being a firebender, his expression tense and distracted as he stared ahead. As if he was almost angry with you. You felt bad, considering without a map it would be practically a death sentence for him to go out on his own, so he was forced into trusting you. And it probably didn't help that he knew little to nothing about you, either. But you wouldn't blame him; you should have just kept the fact that you knew his secret to yourself.

Your daydreaming was abruptly stopped by the sound of a scream further towards the end of the path, sending you and the stranger both to a shrieking holt. It sounded female, and panicked.

"Earth kingdom soldiers." The stranger stated, his gaze following fresh tracks of three other Ostrich-Horses leading ahead and disappearing around the trail. 

"Someone's in trouble." You added, before without hesitation kicking into gear and racing ahead towards the scream. The stranger followed, but more hesitantly as you turned the corner.

There was a sudden drop-off where the path gave away to the stream below, it was steep and slick with mud from the pouring rain and flooding river.

A group of Earth Kingdom officers had a small, panicking family surrounded near the cliff. There were two soldiers fighting to keep a male a little older than you restrained as he tried to twist away from their grip while what looked like a mother and her child watched helplessly from the side, surrounded by soldiers as well. The male was on his knees with his hands pinned to his back as he stared up at the soldiers with angry eyes.

"Those passports aren't fake!" The man on the ground persisted. "And I stole nothing of the sort! Please! We have to get back to Ba Sing Se!"

"It's just some criminals being arrested." The stranger whispered, beside you. "we should keep moving so that we don't draw attention to ourselves."

"No." You put your hand up to signal to the black-haired male to stay where he was. "That man isn't lying. They're being mugged by the guards."

"How do you know that? They're a bunch of refugee peasants, the guards are just doing their jobs."

"Look who's talking!" You scoffed, "it doesn't matter, I'm going. Whether or not you come to help is up to you."

Some type of military official stood in front of the man being arrested. He shifted through some papers with a smirk on his face before he leaned down to the fugitive's level.

"I'm telling you." The man stated, panting heavily as he went limp in the guards' arms. "I'm innocent. W-we bought those passports completely legally."

The general squinted, his hand resting on the sword at his belt. "Tell that to the Earth-Kingdom pri-"

"Yeah, that's not happening." Your grip on your sword only tightened as a rumble of thunder sounded off in the distant sky. You had the sword just barely grazing the skin behind his neck as the officer froze. Your smirk only grew. "Let them go, Wei."

Though Wei was significantly taller than you were--you've beat him multiple times before and you would do it again. He let out a loud chuckle as you watched his hand move to shove the papers haphazardly into his pockets. "Well, well, well...if it isn't our good friend (Y\n)." The man smiled, staying still. "And it's General Wei, now. Say...aren't you supposed to be in Boiling Rock?"

You twisted the sword a little so that a small drop of blood fell from his neck, "I'm afraid we both know how I feel about authority. And no," you smiled, feeling the stranger's eyes on your back from afar. "I was never in Boiling Rock, I've been right here under your nose this whole time. And if you have any common sense left I suggest you give this nice family their papers back. Or, of course, I'll take them by force."

With a twitch of his hand, Wei's accomplices dropped the man they were holding prisoner and assumed position. A stone pillar shot sideways out of the earth as you ducked before it could hit your head. Dodging your way past Earthbender attacks, you and Wei engaged in a sword fight.

The man was already struggling to keep up and just barely keeping his footing in the mud as he backtracked, his expression contorted into one of regret as you quickly grabbed the papers from his pocket while he was distracted.

However, a grunt left your mouth as another stone pillar slammed against your side, throwing you off balance as you slipped in the rain and landed on your side, sending his weapon over the edge of the cliff. You took this chance to trip Wei as well and scramble to your feet.

In a few quick moments, you had the man stuck. Your sword pointed threateningly close to his neck with your foot on his armored chest while you caught your breath. The surprise on his aging face turned to fear as his eyes never left the very tip of your muddy sword.

"Nobody move!" You yelled between breaths, whipping your head around to face the officers. "Or your general gets a mouthful of metal."

The family stood not far away, staying as close as possible while the two parents held their hands over their daughter's eyes. It almost sent a pang of jealousy through your chest.

But suddenly; something caught your vision from the corner of your eye.

Something white and large--almost like a cloud--swooped over head high in the air just barely visible due to a strike of lightning.

A flying bison.

The Avatar.

A powerful pain spread through your whole body as another rock was slammed against you. A yell left your throat as you hit the ground and slid closer to the edge of the cliff.

Rain and running water only helped you to pick up speed as you started sliding closer to the edge, "Shit shit shit!" You kicked and turned but it was no use. The edge continued growing closer. "No no no no!"

Your scarred hands grabbed desperately at the mud as your legs fell over the edge and you braced for the impact of the ground below--

But nothing came.

You looked up to see the stranger leaning over the edge, determination flashed in his golden eyes as he had a tight grasp on your hand, and one of his broadswords in the other, blocking Wei's blade.

"Wait--!"

"Shut up, you're slipping!"

"Stranger, look out!" In a quick, desperate attempt to save your friend from the general behind him you swung your sword up just in time to knock the general back down to the ground, where the father from the family you saved took over on attacking him.

You quickly grabbed the firebender's shirt with your other hand as he grunted and used the rest of his strength to finally pull you up a safe distance from the cliff. You collapsed on top of him in a muddy, shocked, out-of-breath pile of adrenaline once you were back up on solid ground.

Rain pelted your body as your heart rate slowed down a little and your grip on the front of the firebender's tunic loosened, and it wasn't until a few seconds later that you realized what position you were in. 

Your face was inches away from his as your hands still clung onto the front of his shirt. Your eyes met and your heart skipped a beat as you felt his hot breath on your face. Your eyes got lost in his, a beautiful swirl of yellows, greens, and reds that gave them that gorgeous golden color.

"You saved my life."

He looked away, embarrassment flooding his features, "Yeah, I guess I did." His face burned with a bright red color. 

"Mommy! There they are! The two nice people who saved us!"

Almost like opposing magnets--you and the stranger shot apart from eachother at the sight of the small girl. You quickly got to your feet, pulling your firebender comrade up as well as you looked away awkwardly.

The mother and father from before looked over, smiling as they rushed over to meet you.

"Thank you so much!" The mother explained, wrapping your arms around your mud-soaked shoulders. "If you guys wouldn't have come we would have been done for. They dropped all our stuff and left!"

"They just sort-of showed up and tried to blame us for stealing food. Looks like they were from the north...figures." The father explained with a small chuckle. "We don't have much, considering our passports were just stolen, but, we'd love to repay you anyway we can."

"Oh, yeah, uh..." You pulled the three passports out of your pocket. "I believe these belong to you."

"Oh my god!" The mother's face lit up again as she happily retrieved the papers. "Oh, you two are so kind!"

"Yeah, that fight was awesome! I hope I can go and fight the fire nation like you some day." The little girl said, a big smile crossing her features as she gazed admiringly to you and the stranger.

This comment made your stomach turn. "Yeah...I'm sure you will."

"We should get going." The stranger stated, sensing your discomfort as he shook the water from his hair and looked up at the stormy sky. "We don't want to get thrown off schedule."

"Oh, are you sure? If you're heading South we could accompany you." The mother suggested, lifting her overly-excited daughter up in her arms. "Some extra company is always nice."

You swallowed heavily as your eyes drifted up to meet with the stranger's. 

He quickly looked away, as if he was caught staring. Your heart fluttered again.

God, (Y\n), get a hold of yourself.

"Thanks, but..." Your eyes looked up to the sky as you looked in the direction you saw the bison. For the first time in a while, hope sparked in your chest at the thought of even getting a lead. 

Maybe, catching the avatar wouldn't be so impossible after all.

"We're heading North."


	5. Chapter 5

'Why am I here?'

This was a question that ran through Zuko's head more often than he would like to admit.

Especially that night, as he lay in the grass drifting in and out of sleep while staring at the clear night sky. You and him had settled down for the night after helping that family get back on the road, and he was exhausted. But he couldn't stop thinking long enough to fall fully asleep.

You were passed out a few feet away, and a makeshift campfire sat between the two of you--starting to dwindle out of existence after hours of neglect. But Zuko couldn't find the energy to get up and search for more firewood, no matter how cold he was from his still-damp clothes.

Why was he trusting a stranger he barely knew?

Why did he choose to stay here when you knew part of his secret?

But he had more important things to be dealing with. Like, for example, stopping his younger sister from finding the avatar and ruining his only chance of regaining his honor. Or finding his uncle again. Or keeping you from finding out that he was, in fact, the runaway prince and infamous traitor Blue Spirit.

He snorted through his nose.

All his thoughts seemed to cycle their way back to you, no matter how hard he tried.

He was just so drawn to you in a weird way. You were so mysterious, like you knew things he didn't even about himself. You knew your way with people and knew which ones to trust and which ones not to just by looking at them. 

He kept thinking about what nation you might have been from.

Your fighting moves were erratic and unpredictable, though obviously skilled and agile. It was like nothing he had ever seen before; he couldn't pinpoint any moves you made that would link you to any specific nation.

He thought about the talk you had with him the night before.

"Yeah, but you don't know why, do you?" He could almost hear the understanding in your voice, as if you were also talking about yourself in a way. "You're lost lost."

His hand involuntarily moved to his wound, still aching but not nearly as much as the day he got it.

He just couldn't stop thinking about your face after he saved you from falling off the cliff. Your vibrant eyes flashed as you realized how close the two of you were. Eyes filled with a lifetime of pain and violence that made you the way you were. That one small moment of eye contact seemed to stretch on for hours, like time had slowed to a stop. You just looked so...

Pretty.

'God...what the hell is wrong with me?'

He stared at your peaceful, sleeping face from his spot on the ground. He sat up as he rubbed his cold arms.

Zuko knew you were in the same boat as he was. You didn't have to say it. He knew you were out here for a reason, whatever the reason was was of course, unknown, but you were just as lost as he was. He could almost feel it.

'Stop it.'

He growled at himself as he ran his hands down his face.

'I have to focus on my quest. I can't have any distractions. Finding the avatar before the comet arrives is my first priority. Not some...strange nomad girl.'

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and exhaling as he felt the warmth of fire form in his hands, warming himself up before he got up to look for some firewood.

He was about to step away into the woods when he heard you shiver in your sleep, pulling your blankets closer to your frame as you rolled over onto your other side. Your expression lacked the peacefullness Zuko had observed a few minutes before.

The prince swallowed heavily as his gaze switched from his blanket, to the fire, and then back to your sleeping form.

He sighed again.

Grabbing his blanket, he gently draped it over your sleeping form, careful not to wake you as he did so. You immediately curled more into a ball in your sleep and turned again.

You weren't cold, you were having a nightmare.

Zuko stepped back, considering how he usually reacted whenever Iroh would wake him up from his own nightmares, he figured he'd let you wake up on your own terms. 

The black-haired male quickly gathered more firewood, before reviving the small fire from before with a flick of his wrist. He sat down, watching the flame flicker and grow as it caught onto the wood.

He was suddenly reminded of how much he missed home, and his heart sunk a little in his chest.

It was then that you stirred a final time and jolted upright, your hair haphazardly falling over your face as you let out a few small, quick breaths. Once you realized you were awake you groaned and rubbed her eyes.

"Nightmare?"

You turned at the sound of Zuko's voice, your expression a bit distraught for a second. Your eyebrows still furrowed together as you got a hold of yourself before pulling the blankets around you as you crossed your legs. "Yeah, sort of. What are you doing up?"

"My side's bothering me." Zuko half-lied, his eyes never leaving the dancing flame in front of him as he used that quick excuse. "I think the fight from earlier messed with it."

"Yeah, probably." You sighed and ran your hand through your hair, resuming a calm expression as you rubbed your forearms. "do you want me to take a look at it?"

Well, that backfired in his face.

But he didn't want to cause suspicion by saying no.

"Uh...sure." He shrugged, rubbing his neck. "I'm sure it's nothing, though."

"You can never be too careful." You stated, sleep edging at your voice as you got up, keeping the blankets wrapped around you as you moved to sit down in front of Zuko.

The silence that filled the following few moments was unbearably awkward as Zuko suddenly found the ground to be the most interesting thing in the world to look at. 

You snorted a little, "you're gonna have to take off your shirt, Stranger."

Zuko rubbed his face to hide the fact that he felt heat rise to his cheeks. God, why couldn't he not be awkward? Just once? "...Right." He said, quietly, before sliding the tunic off his shoulders, shivering slightly as the night air met his bare skin.

Your hands were cold.

Zuko had never really had much contact with anyone outside of the fire nation until recently, when he started actively chasing the avatar, but he was starting to take your words about fire benders being warmer into more consideration now.

He desperately searched for a way to start up a conversation as you worked to take off his bandages. It was a few moments before he finally settled on; "what was your nightmare about?"

You shrugged, "some stuff that happened a long time ago."

"What kind of stuff?"

"I'll tell you what," You took the last of the bandages off, "you tell me how you got that scar, and I'll tell you what my nightmare was about."

Zuko quickly shut his mouth as his heart jumped a little in his chest. He took a moment to collect his thoughts and think up a quick half-lie.

You hummed, examining the burns left over from his wound on his side. "That's what I tho--"

"It was during a fight."

Your gaze shot up to meet his, a bit of surprise in your expression.

"It was my fault, really. I started it." Zuko continued, his gaze falling back down to the ground as shame and anger rose in his chest even at just the memory. "I paid for it. I lost my honor. And now I'm trying to get it back." 

You were silent for a moment as your hands fell to your lap. You sighed, "I'm sorry that happened, I know the feeling." Your eyes met his again. "A long time ago, something came up and my village was attacked." You ran your thumb over some of the scars on your hands. "And instead of helping I ran off."

Zuko looked up at you, "that's how you got those burns, isn't it?"

"Yeah," You grabbed some spare bandages. "So that's why I'm here."

"You're searching for your family." Zuko noted.

"Oh, no. I know where they are." You looked up to meet Zuko's gaze. You were, of course, completely calm, your eyes flashed with determination as you moved to start wrapping bandages around his torso. "Your people have them."

A shiver crawled up his spine at how nonchalant your words sounded. They lacked something Zuko usually expected to hear with that kind of statement...

Anger.

"But...aren't you mad about it?" Zuko asked. "Aren't you angry at me? For being a firebender? For being one of the people who destroyed your village?"

You seemed taken aback by his statement, "what? No. You had nothing to do with it and the people who did are long gone." 

Zuko held his arms up so that you could tie off the bandages. You looked up at him again, your face inches away from his as his heart fluttered again.

"Being angry over something in the past is a waste of energy." You explained, a small, reasuring smile crossing your features. "It's best to move on and put that energy towards making a change for the better, so that it doesn't happen again."

Little did you know the sheer impact those words would have on Zuko for the rest of his life.


	6. Chapter 6

"Stranger!!"

Zuko bolted upright at the sound of your yelling, he frantically looked around your camp before noticing you were missing from your bed and nowhere in sight.

"Stranger! Come here!"

Your voice echoed from somewhere nearby in the forest. Zuko struggled to determine where it was coming from as he scrambled to his feet.

"(Y\n)?!"

"Over here!"

He quickly grabbed his broadswords out of his belt and bolted into the woods, slashing at any bushes and leaves that were in the way as he ran, blindly, towards where your voice was coming from.

You were in trouble.

"I'm coming!"

It was soon after he said that that a tree root caught the tip of his shoe, sling-shotting him into the Earth with failing arms and a loud yelp. Almost immediately, a burning pain spread through his entire torso as the ground made contact with his wound.

A figure in front of him bursted out laughing, though he couldn't yet open his eyes to figure out who.

"Holy shit! I'm so sorry!" You said between breaths as you leaned down to help him. "But that look on your face was hilarious!"

Zuko carefully got to his feet as he quickly recovered from the shock, finally blinking his eyes open as he glared up at you.

"Aww, common, you have to admit that was funny." You giggled, "you okay?"

"I'll be fine." He snorted, standing up straight again as you let go of his arm. "You just...surprised me."

"Obviously." You retorted, with a small smile before you walked towards a set of bushes, waving him over. "Common, I wanna show you something."

You pushed the under brush out of the way as you led your friend through a bit of forest, the birds chirped happily in the cloudy sky above as Zuko found himself smiling. 

"There." You finally stopped at an indent in the dirt.

The footprint was big, definitely one of an animal's, with four smaller indents where the animal's toes were.

Zuko's eyes widened.

"Sky bison." You both said in unison.

You grinned, "the avatar snuck right past us in our sleep. So I was following the footprints, and..." You grabbed his hand as you led him further into the woods, following the strange prints.

"W-where are you taking m--"

"There!" You stopped again at a cliff.

Zuko's breath hitched in his throat.

Water cascaded down the edge of another cliff across from them, thundering beautifully down into a lake below that drained off into a small river. 

It was beautiful.

"You don't see stuff like this is the Fire Nation." You stated, your hand resting on his shoulder as he took in the sight. "Do you?"

"No, I..." He blinked. "This is...awesome."

You giggled again, "well? You gonna come with me to check it out or not?"

"Shouldn't we keep moving if we want to get to that village before sundown?"

You rolled your eyes, "you worry too much," A smile crossed your lips. "We're not in any hurry. We're out of food, anyway."

"Wait-- I--"

You carefully slid down the side of the cliff with a small cascade of pebbles as you got down to the beach. You turned back to Zuko with a grin, "you coming or what?"

The firebender turned to the footprints that led off to the edge of the cliff. Really--he didn't have time to waste. If he wanted to find and capture the avatar he would have to do it soon if he wanted to do it before the comet.

He turned back to you.

But...

It would only be a few hours.

He swallowed heavily, tearing his eyes away from the footprints as he followed your lead and slid down the the cliff.

You were already stationed beside the river with your sword, your shirt off and tided around your waist as you had your back to him; revealing the array of burns that snaked up your back and across your shoulders.

"What are you doing?" He asked, slipping off his tunic and quickly checking his bandages to made sure they didn't need changed again.

"Getting breakfast," You answered, your eyes focused on the water as your hands tightly grasped the fire nation sword. "And stay quiet, you're scaring the fish."

Zuko seated himself beside you as he watched quietly. Your eyebrows scrunched together slightly as you stayed almost completely still. In almost a blink of an eye, you brought the sword downwards, bringing it up and out with a splash of water as you then threw a small fish down into the sand.

"Yes!" You exclaimed, pinning it down with your hands until it stopped flopping around.

Zuko scoffed, resting his head against his fist. "I can do that."

"Really, huh?" You smirked, accepting the challenge as you held the now-bloody sword out to Zuko. "Why don't you try it then, stranger?"

"Gladly." He returned the smirk as he took your position at the bank, suddenly a bit nervous to mess up as he bit the inside of his cheek and watched the water.

It was silent as he waited for the right moment.

The slight movement of a fish caught his eye and he striked--missing as he let out a small growl.

"You're too quick to strike." He felt your breath against his ear. "Wait for the right moment, here..."

You wrapped your arms around and rested them on top of his own. Zuko felt his heart rate pick up at how close you were. He felt your cold skin brushing against his and suddenly he found himself unfocussed and flustered. His hands were shaking a bit as he didn't want to mess up in front of you.

"Go!" 

He missed again, his hands slipped down the handle of the sword and cut into his hands as the weapon fell into the eater with a splash. The black-haired male let out a yelp.

"Ugh! I don't get it!" He exclaimed, frustrated. "I-I was so close!"

"Hey, hey, hey..." You stood up, "you can do it. You just have to be patient."

Anger rose a bit in his chest as he sucked in air through his teeth, the stinging pain sunk into his hand. He sat down again. This wouldn't have happened if he hadn't been so distracted. For some odd reason in the past few days you had that constant effect on him; he knew he felt it before, he just couldn't quite pinpoint it...

You sat down in front of him as you held your hands out. Hesitantly, Zuko gave you his injured hands.

You sighed, "you sure have a thing for getting hurt lately, don't you?"

He blushed a bit, looking away. "I guess so."

You gently ran your fingers along his bleeding hands, before your eyes looked up to meet his.

It was like he was back by the cliff again, his heart beating wildly in his chest at how close you were. He glanced down at your lips as he realized you were slowly moving in.

He found himself moving in as well, his breath hitching in his throat and his stomach doing back-flips. He closed his eyes.

It was just before your lips collided with his that a flash of lightning and a sharp clap of thunder startled you both.

"Ugh, rain...again?" You sighed, looking up at the sky as if the moment the two of you shared never happened. You stood up. "If we wanna make it there by sundown we should get moving."

Zuko looked down, his face a hot mess as you pulled him to his feet. "Yeah." His heart sunk a little in his chest. "You're right."

God, he was such an awkward goddamn mess.


	7. Chapter 7

The rest of the journey was, well, entertaining. You and the stranger talked for almost the entire time. Granted, you did most of the talking, but he seemed more than happy to listen.

You found yourself dreading the lonely nights you would spend after he would leave, and you wanted to enjoy your last moments with him while you could. You were never aware of the sheer happiness that came with having someone to talk to until that day, and you wanted it to last for as long as possible before you continued with your mission.

You told him some things about your job. Traveling the world and seeking the nations' most dangerous criminals and turning them in for money. You hoped that finding the Avatar would finally get you enough money to free your people, but you didn't dare tell him that. You told him stories of people you had seen, battles you won and lost, places you've been...just about everything. 

Well, aside from all the prison-breaks and stealing, you decided on leaving those parts out.

He told you about what life in the fire nation was like. The stranger explained how he came from a wealthy family, and how he was kept away from most of the other kids and forced to stay with his sister and her friends. He also told you about his uncle Iroh and their travels just about everywhere.

"Why did you run away? If you don't mind me asking." You questioned.

The stranger sighed, his gaze focused on the path ahead, "he was more focused on travelling while I was chasing something. We just...I don't know...he held me back."

You hummed, "it sounds like you miss him."

"I guess I do, a bit." He answered, a bit hesitantly. "I think he would've liked you."

"You say that like you don't think you'll see him again."

"You think I will?"

"Maybe, the universe is strange like that."

"Yeah..." Zuko smiled at that comment. "I guess you're right."

"Hey, look--" You smiled at you pointed down the trail, where the wood of a house could just barely be seen through the trees. "--we're here."

Low and behold, after an awkward conversation with the inn-keeper on why the two of you didn't want a room with only one bed, you found yourself sitting in the silence of a dark room with your new friend.

"Well...I guess this is it, huh?" You let yourself fall against one of the beds in the small inn. It wasn't much, but, it would do for one night. Moonlight filtered in through the open window beside you as you let your head hang upside-down towards your friend. "You're leaving in the morning?"

"Maybe sooner than that." The stranger replied, with a frown. His eyes reflected the light of the moon from the window as he turned to meet you. "I'm glad I met you, (Y\n)." 

"I'm glad I met you, too." You replied, with a smile. "It's nice to meet someone who doesn't want to arrest you every once in a while."

"Tell me about it."

"What was that?"

"Nothing." He sat up suddenly, his back turned to you as he seemed suddenly tense, his head bowed down a little and avoiding eye-contact.

This little change in his behavior was nothing big, but it was big enough to worry you. "You alright?"

"I..." He took a deep breath in, and let it out shakily. "I just need some fresh air."

You watched as he stood up and made his way out onto the balcony on the other side of the room--a tiny fenced-in look-out over the small village. You felt the chilly air raise goosebumps on your bare arms as the doors opened and he slipped out.

You blinked, confused. Did you say something wrong?

Carefully, you got up, following him outside as you rubbed your cold arms. He stared off into the distant horizon, eyebrows furrowed in thought. Something was on his mind. But you kept quiet for a few minutes as you edged closer to him for warmth.

"You're searching for the avatar, too, aren't you?"

You tensed at the question. Shit. No one was supposed to know. Did you slip up?

Wait...did he just say he was, too?

"You're looking for the Avatar?" You sent right back at him.

"Yes." He fidgeted with his bandages. "Well, no..." He groaned with annoyance as he put his head in his hands. "I don't know."

You put your hand on his shoulder. "I get it." You said, looking forwards. "I made a deal with someone. It's my last chance at finally bailing my family out of captivity, but...the past few days I've been questioning it." You explained. "The avatar is supposed to defeat Ozai, and that could save the world, but..." You let out a sad chuckle, "my entire family is in those cages..."

"(Y\n)..."

"And they're scared and they're confused..."

"(Y\n)."

"And I-I'm the only one who can save them but I can't w--"

You were interrupted by the feeling of Zuko's lips against your own.

You tensed, your heart suddenly doing back flips before you leaned into the kiss, feeling his firebender heat as he wrapped his arms around you.

It was short and sweet, he pulled away slowly and you looked into his amber eyes with a bewildered expression as he stared into your own. His breath was hot on your face as you found yourself speechless.

"I have to go."

You looked down, your face flushed a bright red color. 

"I know."

"We can't see eachother again."

And just like that, your heart sunk in your chest again. "but...why?"

"Because..." His grip tightened a bit on your shoulders and loosened again. "Because you don't know me."

You opened and closed your mouth a few times. "But I do know you." You exclaimed, "never mind the fact that you're a firebender. You're the kind, awkward stranger I met in the woods that wouldn't hurt a soul. You saved my life back there."

"N-no!" He looked down again, his expression conflicted as he clearly didn't mean to shout. "I'm selfish and scared and a coward. You're going to hate me if you figure out my name and what my plans are. And you're so selfless and kind and...you saved my worthless life. Twice." He growled lowly. "I won't let someone as amazing as you get roped up in my issu---"

"Listen." You guided his face with your hand to meet your eyes. "I've done some terrible shit in the past, too. I've led people just like me to their deaths...I've stolen, gotten Innocent people fire, spent my entire life trying to make up for what I did back home. But listen..." 

You looked down as you spoke, "Not everything's black and white. You can't have the good without the bad. I've seen the good in you, Stranger. I know it's in there..." You lifted his hand and entwined your fingers with his. "...whatever you've done, it doesn't matter. We're both still kids that make stupid decisions, and we're not meant to be in these situations." You sighed, "we're both lost lost."

A tranquil quiet filled the silence as the sun set behind you. Crickets could be heard in the forest as the night seemed to be patiently waiting for one of you to finally break the silence.

It was a second before the Stranger spoke.

"My name is Zuko." He stated, with a new-found confidence. "Banished prince of the Fire Nation, and heir to the throne."

You were suddenly frozen to where you stood. The world seemed to swim around you as you opened your mouth to speak--

"(Y\n)." He gave your hand one final squeeze. "Thank you for everything. Good luck."

And then he left.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all!
> 
> Right off the bat I wanna say sorry for the wait!! Chapters should be released at the usual pace after this. Also I rewrote this chapter because I'm hella indecisive and decided on something different last minute, woops (sorry about that, too 😅 you'll get some interaction with the rest of the gang later on!)

Your footsteps echoed through the stone alleyway as rain pelted at the back of your cloak. The muffled sounds of the Dai Li were behind you, yelling commands and orders left and right as you slid over buildings and hopped fences.

A smile spread across your face as your breathing started to speed up, the cold air burning your lungs as you quickly turned a corner and climbed up the side of a building.

It had been about a month since your encounter with Zuko at the begining of the summer. Your chase for the avatar remained fruitless, and Ozai was getting more and more impatient with every letter. You knew you didn't have much time.

That's why you fled to Ba Sing Se.

After talking to a group of sand benders, you got some information about how a bison was found in the desert and taken into Ba Sing Se to be sold. This was your only promising lead, so you decided to go through with it. Now all you had to do was wait. So, naturally, in order to spend some time, you went back to your roots.

Your roots being shoplifting and stealing.

Not from the people who need it, though.

With the Dai Li still hot on your tail, and the rain making the rooftops slippery, you looked around to see if you could find anywhere to hide. You settled on a small open space between some small buildings down the street. 

With one fluid move; you grabbed a hold of a string of lanterns, ignoring the burn of the rope on your hands as you flung yourself onto the concrete balcony and clung to the shadows.

You listened as the Dai Li searched the area rather poorly before their footsteps faded away; slowly replaced with the static of rain as you caught your breath in the dark.

"That was rather impressive."

You drew your sword and faced the direction the voice had come from.

"Woah, woah." An unknown man raised his hands in surrender as he backed up slightly, letting out a bit of a chuckle. "Relax...I'm not part of that sketchy group. I won't turn you in."

The male was about your age, though a little taller than you were. He was definitely not a city native--considering his clothes consisted of what looked to be red and blue amour. His complexion was dark, and his hair was matted and tangled. A piece of straw hung out of his mouth as he spoke.

You hummed in response, your hood falling slightly over your face. "How do I know that for sure?"

"The name's Jet." He smiled, pushing the tip of your blade down with his finger.

You lowered your sword; this kid was a nonbender, and didn't appear to be armed. "(Y\n)."

"It's very nice to meet you, (Y\n). You seem to be pretty good at stealing things."

"If it's a chain it's free reign." You pulled your hood down. "Why else did you think the Dai Li were after me?"

He scoffed, "those men are crazy. They'd chase you down even if you looked like you were gonna steal something."

You chuckled at that statement, "I guess you're right. You a fugitive?"

"Damn right. You?"

"In some ways, yeah." You shrugged and shoved your hands in your pockets. "I'm here to look for someone."

"Let me guess..." He brought his hand to his chin and looked at you up and down before snapping his fingers. "You're looking for the Avatar, aren't you?"

"So?"

"Just about every strange nomad that mysteriously turns up here is." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Rumor has it that Ozai hired one of the most wanted criminals in the world to search for the dude."

"Really now?"

"Yeah." He rolled his eyes. "The Avatar's a pacifist coward. There's no way he's gonna kill Ozai, I bet even I could capture him if I wanted to."

You smirked, "sounds like you've met him before."

Jet frowned, "I have. He stole my girlfriend and she froze me to a tree for two days. We had to wait for me to thaw out because nobody could break me out."

A laugh left your throat.

"But anyway." He held his arm against the wall and above your head as he leaned against the wall. The piece of straw hanging from his lips brushed against your cheek annoyingly. "How would you like to help me out with something?"

You crossed your arms, "what kind of something?"

He glanced to the side, "A Help-Me-Go-Undercover-And-Bust-Some-Criminals something."

"...I'm listening."

"See that tea shop over there?" 

You turned your head to the small shop just down the street, the yellow lights reflecting beautifully off the rain-soaked streets as people loosely filtered in and out of it. It seemed busy, but the people around it seemed happy. Something rare for the lower class side of the middle ring.

"There are two firebenders working in there. I saw the one heat his tea on the ferry...with his own hands." Jet explained, quietly. "We can split the reward and everything. All I need you to do is get them to trust you enough to prove it. I'd do it myself but they already know who I am, y'know?"

"I'll do it." A smile crossed your face, "lucky for you, bounty hunting is my specialty."

It wasn't long before you found yourself in typical middle-ring earth kingdom clothes, gazing at yourself in the mirror of your small apartment as you frowned. You didn't usually like to dress up--but it was crutial to fitting in with the crowd. 

You sighed in the quiet.

You never really realized how painfully lonely you really were until Zuko left.

No. Stop. He's Firelord Ozai's son, you shouldn't be thinking about him like this.

Shaking the thoughts from your head, you dusted off the front of your dress shirt and headed out.

The shop wasn't far--about two blocks from your apartment to be exact. The rain had settled to a gentle sprinkle as you took in the night air, feeling the coldness on your skin as you approached the building.

A strange nervousness thudded in your chest as you grabbed the doorknob and pushed it open.

The shop was small, but charming. The buzz of people and passing conversations filled your ears as a small bell rang above your head.

"Ah! A new customer!"

You switched your gaze ahead of you, where an older man could be seen carrying a tea set across the room. He smiled warmly at you, "how can I help you today?"

"Um..." Shit. You should have thought this through more. What kind of tea is usually served here? "Just some jasmine tea, please." 

"Coming right up! Go ahead and sit down at that empty table over there and and I'll have someone with you in just a minute."

You sat down at the small table by the window, admiring how calm everything seemed. It was rare that you went to restaurants and that sort-of thing, considering you tried to avoid being in cities this big. You smiled quietly to yourself as you stared out the window, wondering who these two firebenders could possibly be. A yawn escaped your throat. 

"Here's your t--...(Y\n)?"

You looked up at the waiter who had set your tea on the table.

You could've sworn all the air was sucked out of your lungs.

Oh for fuck's sake.


	9. Chapter 9

"I can't do it."

The rain pitter-pattered against the roof above you in the silence of the late night. You raced to meet Jet back on the balcony, your mind made up about lying to keep Zuko and his uncle safe.

"What?!" Jet exclaimed, with a sudden agitation in his tone as he flinched at his own voice. "But--you said--"

"I said I would help capture firebenders. Those two aren't firebenders." You lied, keeping your gaze stern. "They're friends of mine. Fugitives, just like us. What the hell made you think they were firebenders?"

"I told you!" He growled, "I saw the old man heating his tea!"

"I'm not doing this." You insisted, your heart heavy in your chest.

He sighed, squeezing the bridge of his nose with his fingers as the rain and the sound of passing citizens trying to make it home before curfew filled the silence. Your heart still thudded in your chest. 

"You said you're a bounty hunter, right? Hunting for the avatar?"

You stayed silent, keeping your calm composure as you struggled to recover from the encounter with Zuko just moments before.

"Why do you feel the need to defend two firebenders when you're the one who's hellbent on killing a twelve-year-old?"

"Because it was never my choice!" Your voice echoed in the dark alleyway and you were certain half the city could hear it. Your breathing was fast as your heart sped up in your chest. Even Jet seemed surprised by your outburst.

You swallowed heavily and forced your anger back down, "s-sorry." You closed your eyes and looked away. "I need a minute."

"The fire nation has your family, don't they?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Listen, (Y\n)." He put his hand on your shoulder and you nearly pushed him away, his voice suddenly quiet and understanding. "My parents were killed in a fire nation raid when I was only eight. You might not think I know what it's like...but I do."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It means that this reward could help you get your family out of prison. If there's more firebenders in the city you won't need to find the Avatar to save up enough--and I could help." He explained, crossing his arms over the railing of the balcony as he studied your thoughtful expression. "Firebenders are the people who took your family away. They ruined your life. How could you not hold that against them?"

"These two had nothing to do with what happened to my family."

Jet scoffed, "(Y\n). Common. They're fire nation spies. They could capture other people's families, destroy more villages. You can never trust them. Do you want what happened to you to happen to more people?"

You felt the burn of tears in your eyes as your heart dropped in your chest. "You're wrong."

"But what if I'm right?" Jet's voice was almost chillingly gentle.

Thoughts swirled around your head at lightning speed. You thought about how kind Zuko was to you, his genuinely surprised expression whenever he found you at that table in the tea shop, the jokes the two of you made on your travels...

The kiss you shared before he left.

Your grip on the wet railing tightened.

He's prince Zuko.

A direct heir to the throne.

But he also helped you.

He genuinely liked you.

But he's Ozai's son.

And your family needed you more than anything.

"Fine." You said through clenched teeth as you whipped your head around to meet Jet's gaze. "I'll get you the evidence to prove they're firebenders. Give me one month."

And with that, you left, jumping off the balcony and racing back to your apartment. 

This is a disaster.

"This is a disaster!" Zuko growled, pacing back and forth across the living room as he ran his hands down his face. "She shouldn't be here! I made extra sure I wouldn't be followed! How-- I-- what am I gonna do?!"

"Zuko! Calm down." Iroh stated, grabbing his panicking nephew's shoulders to stop him from pacing. "Tell me what happened."

"I--..." He sighed. "It's a long story."

"Well we've got nothing but time." The older man stated, his tone serious, "sit down and start from the beginning. I knew there was something you weren't telling me."

Zuko sighed again, annoyed, before doing as told. He fidgeted with the sleeves of his shirt as he thought back, "okay, but, don't make a big deal out of it...it was just a thing that happened."

Iroh raised an eyebrow.

Zuko rolled his eyes, quieting his voice as to not disturb the neighbours, "I met this...girl while I was out on my own. A nomad." He rested his head in his hands. "I would've died if she didn't find me out there. One thing led to another and I guess I...sort of liked her?" He felt his face redden with embarrassment. "Anyway I kissed her and she knows who we are and I messed up. I messed up so bad."

Iroh was quiet for a second before letting out a small chuckle, "I always knew you'd be the heartbreaker type."

"Uncle! This is serious!"

"Did you get her name?"

"(Y\n) (L\n)."

The older man hummed, bringing his hand to his chin as a frown crossed his face.

Zuko furrowed his brow, "what is it?"

"She's another bounty hunter." Iroh answered, "one of the best, too. Known for capturing war officials almost as if she possessed them and brought them out herself."

"Oh my god." Zuko leaned his head back against the chair with a small groan. "She's gonna report us to the Dai Li. I know it."

Iroh chuckled, "we don't know that."

"Of course we do! She followed me here to look for the avatar!"

"Are you sure she even intended to follow you?" He asked, "she seemed pretty surprised to see you when she bolted out of the tea shop earlier."

Zuko stayed silent. Maybe he was right. Though a part of him did hope he'd see you again, it was unlikely. He did kiss you and then book it, which was a pretty shit move on his part. 

He only hoped he'd ever get the chance to apologize.

"What should I do if she comes back?"

He hummed, "I guess that's a tricky question, isn't it?"

Zuko groaned in frustration, "We're so dead..."

"Hey...relax." Iroh put his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "If she does come back tomorrow, I'll handle it, alright?"

The younger male looked down at his hands. A small scar was left over from the incident with your sword a while back, and he traced over it with his thumb gently. 

"Alright." He sighed, "fine."


	10. Chapter 10

"I'm still not sure about this."

You paced your apartment room as Jet sat on the couch in front of you, not much changed in his bored expression but a small eyebrow lift. Obviously, he was getting a little tired of assuring you it would be worth it, considering you were surprisingly hard to convince.

A day had passed. Even after you had some time to sleep on it and figure out a plan, you still felt an ache in your heart at even the thought of outing Zuko and Iroh. 

You just couldn't do it. It didn't feel right. The weight of regret on your chest came and went with each passing hour.

You and Jet had been talking. Not about what was happening, but actually talked. Lighthearted, normal people stuff. He told you about his family, his group of friends out in the woods he nicknamed the 'freedom fighters,' the incident involving the avatar...everything. 

You were starting to consider him a friend, despite the fact that his motives didn't exactly sit right with you.

"Relax, (Y\n)." He said, with a sigh as his low voice snapped you back to reality. "Just remember your family."

"Right, yes...my family..." You stopped and bit your nails. "...people being at risk..." A growl left your throat as you continued to go back and forth on it in your head, "ugh! Why is this so hard?! I never had a problem with it before..."

"You seem...awfully attached to these two." Jet noted nonchalantly.

"Well...yes..." You crossed your arms, your bow furrowed a bit. "A bit. Maybe." You sighed, shakily. "The guy with the scar saved my life."

You had captured generals, war criminals, stolen large amounts of gold from high-security vaults...

So why did turning in a few undercover firebenders make you feel so...

Backstabbing?

You figured you would finalize your decision as you went on. Figure out what exactly Zuko's motives for working the tea shop were, and go from there. He couldn't be planning an attack from inside the city, could he?

Right?

Would he?

This was stupid.

Zuko was a banished prince. Obviously he had some reason to work at the tea shop in his nation's number one target city. You just had to figure out what.

Couldn't be too hard.

Right?

"You know what? Never mind. Yeah. I'm doing this." You took a deep breath as you dusted off your clothes. "I'll ask if they're hiring, I need money to keep this apartment, anyway."

"That's my girl." Jet smiled, patting your shoulder reassuringly as you hesitantly returned the smile back up at him. He was almost acting as if he'd known you your entire life. "I'll be right behind you, just outside the building. If anything goes wrong, meet me, Longshot, and Smellerbee back up in that balcony."

"Copy that." You nodded, your heart rate picking up a little in your chest as you held the door open for Jet.

Despite everything, a small spark of excitement could be felt in your heart at the thought of seeing Zuko again.

"Back again, hm?" The older man from the day before asked you as you snapped out of your day dreaming.

The buzz of people around you was something you still weren't quite used to after all your traveling in isolation the past few months. Though the small building was crowded with civilians and Dai Li members on break, it was almost...comforting. The atmosphere was calm and happy.

"Yeah," you answered, with a small smile, "sorry about yesterday, had a bit of an emergency, so that''s why I bolted."

"Ah, it's fine!" The man chuckled, "You just surprised nephew is all. (Y\n), right?'

A strange emotion filled your chest; so Zuko had told him your name? "Yeah. That's me." You smiled, "I believe me and your nephew have met before?"

"Sounds like it."

A small sigh left your lips, "Oh, heh, yeah I thought that was him." You looked back over at the older man, "how's he doing, by the way?"

Iroh sat down across from you, pouring some tea for you from the pot he had on a tray. "Well, he's...difficult to read, even for me sometimes."

"Tell me about it."

"But," Iroh continued, "I think he's sorry."

"Sorry?" You blinked, your heart suddenly melting in your chest a little as you brought your voice down to a whisper. "For what happened at the Inn?"

He raised an eyebrow.

You cleared your throat, "when he dipped, I mean. He didn't really give me...much of an explanation."

"I think so," Iroh sighed. "Unfortunately he's not very good when it comes to people. He didn't have many decent friends growing up. As you could probably tell by, well, everything."

You rubbed the scars on your hands underneath the table, humming in response. 

"Though I think spending time here is helping him." Iroh said, glancing over your shoulder at the familiar teenager waiting tables. "He's loosening up a little, though he doesn't want to admit it."

You smiled a little to yourself, sipping the tea in your hands, "that's good to hear. I'm glad he's happy." You looked up again, "Though I'm hearing rumors that what he's looking for is here, so, it might not last long."

Iroh sighed again, "I'm aware."

You looked over your shoulder again to glance at the black-haired male. A rare, calm expression crossed his features as he made small-talk with some customers, his scar sticking out like a sore thumb against his (almost) approachable demeanor.

Just like he had been when you met him.

Another sigh escaped your lips.

"He's convinced he needs his father's acceptance in order to be happy." Iroh sipped his own tea, "I don't think he realizes he wasn't happy living with his father, either."

You hummed, "he's lost."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Were you angry at him? Did you miss him? Was it worth turning them over to the Dai Li? Still so many questions filled your brain as you had no clue as to where you should go from there.

Shit.

It was now or never.

"Well, anyway, I actually had something to ask you." You took a breath, "Are you guys hiring by any chance?"

This isn't too bad.

You found yourself calming down as you were taken to the back room of the small shop and handed an apron--a little bit shocked that you were hired as quickly as you were. They must be understaffed.

The room was comfortably dark, and shelves of clean dishes lined the way to your right as well as several sinks and a small kitchen. Iroh and Zuko appeared to be the only employees there that day, though Zuko seemed to either be ignoring you or just didn't notice you yet.

Your mind, once again, trailed back to his expression as the two of you made eye contact the day before. His jaw hanging open just the slightest bit, speechless, his eyes wide. You barely muttered a small combination of 'excuse me' and 'sorry' before high-tailing it out of there as fast as your legs could carry you.

"So...your first shift is in two days." Iroh's voice tore you from your thoughts once again as you looked back at him.

"Oh. Yeah. Right. Sunrise." You nodded, "got it."

"And if Lee gives you any trouble, just let me know." The older man smiled, "he can be a bit much sometimes."

You returned the smile a bit, "Yeah. Wait, Lee?"

"Yeah. Lee." He gave a knowing wink.

"Right...Lee."

"Uncle?"

And just like that, anxiety slammed back into your chest as you whipped your head around.

The silence was deafening. Zuko blinked, nearly dropping the tea tray in his hands before catching it again last minute. You were surprised to see a small hint of a glare in his expression.

"...Lee." You said, your voice wavering with awkwardness and uncertainty.

"(Y\n)." His voice held a small trace of an emotion you couldn't quite pinpoint.

His hair had gotten longer. Had it really been that long?

"Well." Iroh cleared his throat, stepping towards the door, "I'll leave you two be...Lee, I'll meet you back at the inn."

He shut the door behind him.

The room filled with tension as only the sound of passing conversations outside filled the silence. Your heart beat fast as you frantically searched for something to say, but Zuko beat you to it.

"Why did you follow me?" His voice was stern and blunt as he stomped towards you, "I told you I didn't want you tangled up in this me--"

"Okay, asshole, first of all, nice to see you too. Second of all, I didn't follow you." You crossed your arms defensively. "I have better things to do than chase guys around, you know that."

"Then why the hell are you here?"

"Same reason as you!" You snapped, "looking for him!"

Zuko's gaze narrowed and your heart sunk in your chest. His nose scrunched as you thought he was about to yell, his mouth opened and closed again before he scoffed loudly and went to storm out.

"So that's it then?" You shouted after him, struggling to keep your voice clear and unwavering.

Zuko stopped in his tracks.

"We're just going to stop talking? As if those three days never happened?!" You're hands clenched into fists. "I'm not just going to walk away and forget that happened! I..." You pinched the bridge of your nose, obviously, all this yelling was getting you nowhere. "You know what? Whatever, forget it. What the hell did I expect from a firebender, anyway?"

Zuko turned back abruptly, "fine! Be like that! Nonbender peasant!" 

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

You slammed the door on your way out.


	11. Chapter 11

Zuko opened his eyes and found himself back home.

The subtle, burnt scent of smoke and ash filled his senses as he blinked awake to find himself comfortably situated in his bed. It was dead silent. Moonlight seeped in through a window to his immediate right and lay across his velvet sheets.

He sat up, groggily, pushing the hair away from his face as he yawned to see someone had shaken him awake. Someone he hadn't seen in three years. The one thing he didn't miss about leaving.

"Azula...?" He said, flinching at how young and high-pitched his own voice sounded.

He reached up to brush his hand over his eye. The ragged, rough, pink skin was gone and his face seemed normal.

He was a kid again.

Azula, however, towered over him. Her arms crossed, and her lips turned downwards into a scowl. Mascara cascading down her cheekbones--she looked a mess.

She looked pissed.

"What? What is it?" 

"Do you have any idea what you've done, Zu-Zu?" Though her voice was quiet, it dripped with venom as she talked through her teeth. "Any idea where mom went?"

Zuko blinked in confusion as he found himself clutching the sheets. His heart sped up, "n-no I..."

"She's gone! She left us behind! She said she never cared about us..." Suddenly, Azula's voice was starting to sound a lot like your's as furious tears started to run down your face. "She said we're monsters!"

Zuko fell out of bed and found himself blindly sprinting down the endless, blackened hallways of the castle. His footsteps thudded against the freezing tile floors as his breathing was fast and erratic--but he was going nowhere.

Voices echoed around him.

Incoherent, judgmental, voices--none of which he recognized--came from all around him. Quiet at first, but steadily picking up in volume.

Zuko tripped and collapsed onto the ground with a loud grunt as the Earth felt like it was spinning. He couldn't see anything.

"S-stop!" He cried, clawing at his ears as he backed up against a wall. "Stop it! Please! I'll do anything!"

The voices continued, louder, angrier. He felt the breath of people whispering next to his ears but no matter how much swatting he did nothing stopped.

Red hot tears spilled down Zuko's cheeks as the voices started to get more clear.

"...you were lucky to be born..."

"...not everything's black and white..."

"...what are you going to do? Tell mom?..."

"...you can't have the good without the bad..."

"...ever since I lost my son...I think of you as my own..."

"...you're lost lost, aren't you?..."

Suddenly, he was older again, launching to his feet as fire engulfed the pitch black ground around him, flames licked at his clothes as heat surrounded his figure. He screamed hopelessly into the dark abyss.

"STOP IT!"

Zuko bolted awake, sweat dripping down his face and soaking his sheets as he struggled to get his breathing back under control.

He was back in the hotel room.

The ravenet let out a few shuddering breaths, letting his head fall back against his pillow as his shaking hand ran gently through his hair. Birds chirped happily outside in the sunlight as Zuko recovered from his nighterror, he closed his eyes as he remembered every detail from the vision.

He had so much on his mind it was unreal. Between the avatar, you, and his growing suspicion of being stalked he wasn't sure how to feel, or where to go from there.

The young prince rubbed his tired eyes as he sat up in his bed. Today was your first day working--he knew that much. And he wanted to apologize, he really did, but even the thought of approaching you after his little outburst embarrassed him to his core.

He shouldn't have gotten mad.

Light shined beautifully down into his window, illuminating the dark room as he took a breath and pushed his covers away. The space was dead quiet--Iroh must already be down at the tea shop. 

He quickly got dressed in his usual robes and apron, looking himself over in the mirror as he tried to smooth his hair down. He didn't want you to think he was quite as much as a mess.

Wait, why did he care what you thought?

Whatever.

He sighed, stretching one last time before he left, quietly shutting the door behind him as he began his quiet walk back to the tea shop, his heart hammering in his chest.

Usually, the tea shop wasn't as busy in the mornings. This morning was no exception. A few of the usual customers were in, but that was about it.

The familiar, musical bell rang above him as he stepped in, and Iroh turned to him from the counter. A beautiful, smiling teenaged girl stood beside him.

Shit.

Zuko avoided eye contact, his eyes drifting to the ground slightly as he felt his cheeks heat up with embarrassment.

He should apologize. It was the honorable thing to do.

And, sure, Zuko was the least honorable person in the room...but this tension would eat him alive the entire time he worked here if he didn't at least try.

He just had to find the right time.

Zuko's eyes glanced up to meet your's as he shuffled over to his uncle, to which you frowned, and kept your chin high as you turned and walked into the back room.

"Girls are so confusing." Zuko muttered to himself once you were out of earshot, crossing his arms while he stared after your figure as you walked to the back room.

Iroh chuckled, "she said the same thing about you just now."

His face lit up with embarrassment once again as he growled and ran his hands down his face, turning to walk away. He cursed under his breath, "I have other thing's to worry about--"

"Nephew." Iroh's hand rusted on his nephew's shoulder, stopping Zuko in his tracks as he turned towards his uncle with a bitter expression.

"What?"

Iroh squinted a bit as he held eye contact with his nephew, "did you sleep last night?"

"I slept fine." The teenager brushed Iroh's hand off his shoulder. "I just don't get why we're stuck working in some dumb tea shop when the avatar is right under our noses. I was this close to getting him!"

"Lee!" Iroh whispered, reminding Zuko where he was as the older man, once again, stopped him from walking away. "Keep your voice down. Why don't you go help (Y\n) finish washing the dishes from yesterday? You need to relax."

Zuko rolled his eyes, "with her? Are you kidding me? That's the opposite of relaxing!" He whisper-yelled.

"Lee." The older man's voice was a bit sterner now, "things aren't going to get better unless you swallow your pride and apologize, you know that."

Zuko opened his mouth and shut it again. He let out a bit of a frustrated growl, "I suppose you're right..." He took a breath, "fine. I'll do it."

"That's my boy." Iroh smiled a little, "We just spent three years out at sea...you deserve to have a bit of a break with your lady-friend."

And with that, the old man walked away.

Zuko swallowed heavily as he turned to open the door to the back room.

Of course, you were there. Humming to yourself quietly as you ran a wet cloth over a used teacup gently, your back turned to Zuko. 

The song you were humming was not familiar to Zuko in any way, though he felt his heart melt a bit at how at peace you seemed. Your hand ran through your beautiful (H/c) locks as you turned your head slightly at the sound of his entrance.

Though he knew there was something off.

The (Y\n) he knew wouldn't snap like you had, and you wouldn't insult him for being a firebender, either.

He knew something was wrong.

Zuko cleared his throat, stepping forwards awkwardly as he looked down and scratched at the back of his neck, "need any help?"

You didn't answer, you continued humming quietly as Zuko didn't wait for an answer. He took a breath before falling in beside you, begining to dry the dishes with a hand towel in silence, sneaking glances at your thoughtful expression.

The silence was heavy, and excruciatingly tense. Zuko knew he wasn't going to be able to get you to speak unless he said something first, so he sighed, his heart beating fast in his chest.

"I'm sorry...for...losing my temper the other day." He had to force the words out of his throat as he looked down. "I shouldn't have yelled at you."

You paused, the humming stopped as you continued scrubbing the used teacup. Your sleeves rolled back, revealing the distorted burn scars crawling up your arms that were a painful reminder to Zuko of what his people did to your's.

What his grandfather did to you.

But still, those burns didn't make you any less stunning.

"Look I..." God, why was he so nervous? "These past few months have been...eventful...I'm confused and--" He growled slightly, frustrated with his own stuttering. "What I'm trying to say is, we're both here, so--"

"Stop talking."

Zuko gasped a little, backing up slightly as he suddenly felt your lips against his, your thumb running gently over his scar as his heart jumped in his chest.

Before he knew it, you released the kiss, your trademark smirk growing on your face as you watched his bewildered expression. 

"There." You crossed your arms smugly. "Consider us even."

He took a second to recollect himself, leaning against the counter as his hands squeezed the wooden table hard in order to keep himself grounded.

"Does this mean..."

"That I'm not still mad? No." Your hands worked to adjust his apron--a small smile crossing your features. "But...your apology is accepted."

Zuko's heart did back flips in his chest.

Maybe staying in Ba Sing Se wouldn't be so bad after all.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tysm for all the support on this book so far!! On quotev and on here, lol
> 
> You guys are so sweet I love seeing the feedback in the comments and through kudos/hits!!! <3<3
> 
> But anyway I hope you enjoy this update!

The day went by smoothly after that.

It was fun.

You spent most of your time cleaning tables and bringing tea and snacks out to costumers, but it wasn't too overwhelmingly busy. You met some interesting people, pulled some small pranks on Zuko, got a lesson on how to make tea from Iroh, and overall enjoyed your small break from being on constant alert for danger or the avatar.

You noticed something about the people in Ba Sing Se, though.

No one was talking about the war. Like it wasn't even happening.

You figured you wouldn't question it, maybe people just didn't like talking about it? Considering most of the people in the outer and middle rings were likely refugees, you decided to stick with that answer.

But, still, it definitely rubbed you the wrong way.

As for Zuko, a part of you couldn't stay angry at him for very long--no matter what he was doing there in the tea shop or what he was planning. Though Jet's words still stuck uncomfortably in your mind, you were confused.

Aggravatingly, hopelessly confused.

But you still had time to decide on a plan, whether to stick with Jet or spare Zuko.

You'd figure it out eventually.

After all, you usually always did.

So you would relax and let it come to you with time. Things would work themselves out eventually.

Right?

"That's all we have to do for tonight."

Zuko's hand on your shoulder almost made you jump as you were a bit distracted with your own thoughts. 

"Oh, right, yeah." You let out a breath, rubbing your eyes.

"You...alright?"

"Fine." You yawned, "just exhausted, really. Didn't sleep well last night."

Zuko scoffed, "tell me about it."

A few minutes of slightly awkward silence filled the atmosphere, the faint sound of crickets could be heard outside in the summer air as you fidgeted with the ends of your sleeves, unsure what to say.

"So, uh...my uncle's already left." Zuko rubbed his forearm, "should I...walk you home?"

"Oh, yeah...that would be nice." A smile worked it's way onto your face as Zuko held the door open for you.

The evening air was chilly, but not too drastically cold as you stepped out into the empty, open streets. Lanterns shined a bright yellow as they hung from their wires and zig-zagged down the street, illuminating the night as the sun set over the city.

It was...actually very pretty.

You entwined your fingers with Zuko's as the two of you began your walk back to your apartment. You smiled a bit to yourself, perfectly content with how the day went.

You felt like you could do this forever, just living peacefully in Ba Sing Se with Zuko and Iroh. 

But you knew that wouldn't happen anytime soon.

"You still keep your sword on you?" 

The question caught you a bit off guard, you hummed before your hand travelled to the sword at your waist, nearly concealed by your robes. A small smile kept onto your face, "the man who sleeps with a machete is a fool all nights but one."

He almost laughed. Almost. "You sound like my uncle."

"What? It's good advice." You argued, with a chuckle. "I always try to keep it on me. I know this city is one of the safest in the world, but...y'know."

"Hey, I never said I was judging you." Zuko moved to show his broadswords still attached to his belt. "I guess I'm not the only paranoid one."

"I don't get how you couldn't be paranoid in this city." You scoffed, before lowering your voice a little. "People are creepy here."

"I don't think anyone's even had a clue who I am yet." Zuko sighed. "Uncle says this city is a bit secluded from the rest of the world...but I think there's a little more going on than that."

"Yeah..." You glanced towards a Dai Li officer stationed down the street. "...agreed."

It was a few moments of comfortable silence before either of you spoke again.

"How's your side?" You asked, snapping the ravenet away from his thoughts.

"The cut from a month ago?" He shrugged, "it's fine. It still hurts every once in a while, but, it's healing."

"That's good."

"And what about you?"

"Hm?"

"How have you been doing since I left?"

You frowned a bit, suddenly feeling eyes on the back of your head. Jet was nearby. Shit. "Okay. Could be better." You answered, truthfully.

Zuko sent you a look of uncertainty, his amber eyes briefly making contact with your's. God, it was difficult to lie to him. "Are you still mad at me?"

"Of course I'm not mad. Well, I mean--" you swallowed heavily, glancing behind you. "I don't know. I just...need some time to think." 

His hummed in response, "I don't know what got into me when I yelled at you."

"I guess we're both just a bit stressed at the moment." You said, stopping at the building that was your apartment as you gazed back at him with a small smile.

Your heart seemed to be doing back flips as he took both of your hands in his warm ones, tracing the scars on your fingers gently as he lowered his voice. "It's nice to see you again."

You hummed, "It's nice to see you, too." 

"I can't--" He looked down slightly, "I mean, we can't..."

You frowned a little. Even after everything, the concept of him being a prince still kept slipping from your mind. It was just so hard to believe that this kind-hearted stranger could be the son of someone responsible for the death of millions. You felt anger nip at your heart again, but it was gone as soon at it came.

Though the thought of your parents seeing who you were with now was enough for you to let go of Zuko's hands and rub your arms instead.

"You're not gonna..." His voice trailed further off as it was just below a whisper. "...are you?"

Your throat tightened. You knew exactly what he was asking. And you knew Jet was listening, too.

The idea of turning Zuko in weighed heavy in your chest. You had to say something.

You frowned, shaking your head as you looked back up to make eye contact with him, "I don't know if I could after, y'know, everything."

He let out a sigh of relief and you couldn't help but let out a small giggle. "What? Did you think I was actually going to?"

He shrugged, "you never know."

"I guess you're right."

Another long moment of silence passed. You didn't want to leave, but both of you knew better than to be outside past the city's curfew.

"Soo..." You cleared your throat, "same time tomorrow?"

A small smile crossed his features, "Relax." He reached up to tuck a small strand of hair back behind your ear and you felt your cheeks flush a little. "The sun's not fully set yet, we still have a few minutes."

A laugh left your mouth as your hand gently grabbed his, "seriously, Lee, you should go before the Dai Le see us." You smiled. "We can see eachother again tomorrow...just try not to oversleep again."

He chuckled slightly and said his goodbye before you then watched him run off back towards the tea shop. A sigh left your mouth as you leaned against the wall of your apartment building.

God, you were really did fall for him, didn't you?

What a cheesy, cliche nightmare.

"(Y\n)! There you are."

You turned, and immediately stumbled back a few steps, "Jesu-- Jet, you scarred the shit outta me!"

"Shhh!" He laughed, resting his hands on your shoulders as he smirked triumphantly--he always seemed to know right when to sneak up on you. "Common, let's get inside before it gets too late."

You playfully shoved Jet away from you, snickering as he raced you up the steps and into your apartment. People sent weird looks your way, but, they were pretty much used to your strange shenanigans at this point.

"So," Jet plopped down into a chair as you went off to the other side of the room to prepare some tea. "I see everything's going as planned?"

You flinched a little, but kept your collected expression. God, what was wrong with you lately? "Yeah." You answered. "They trust me. It shouldn't be that hard, but I don't have solid proof yet."

It was true, you didn't.

Jet hummed in response, "It seems like you and Lee are getting pretty close."

A scoff left your mouth as you lit a small flame to boil water, "he's totally crushing on me." You smiled at the thought of Zuko. "It's kind-of a shame he's a firebender." 

Jet hesitated for a moment, the silence was tense and you knew he was a bit suspicious. But you had nothing to hide. After all, he did tell you to get close to them.

"Yeah, well, don't get any ideas." 

"Right." You chuckled, "I know better than to fall for a firebender."

"I never said you didn't." He retorted, smirking slightly. "after all, I'm sure an amazing girl like you would have plenty of other options."

You sent a smile in his direction, "thanks, Jet." A sigh left your mouth. "I'm afraid my mission is more important than hooking up with guys, though."

He let out a yawn as he stretched his arms out above him. "Well, ya' never know. Love is weird like that."

He was right. Maybe not for the reasons he meant, but love was weird like that.

Because you were in love with the banished prince of the fire nation.


	13. Chapter 13

"These two men are fire benders!"

A panicked hush fell around the room as everyone's heads turned to meet the stranger who had just busted inside. You and Zuko shared a surprised glance before your confused gaze turned to meet with Jet's angry one.

This wasn't part of the plan.

A few days had passed since your first shift at the tea shop. Jet seemed to be getting more paranoid and protective by the day--soon he started insisting that he walked you to and from work, asking you questions about Iroh and Zuko.

Though a part of you wanted to think he was just like this normally--Smellerbee was quick to inform you that he was jealous.

"Jealous?" You barked a laugh as you ran a hand through the younger girl's hair, you promised her you'd braid it on your first day off. "Of what? Me not being homeless?"

"No." She shook her head rather nonchalantly as she kept her eyes closed. "He likes you. A lot, actually. He usually doesn't have a problem with getting girls...but he seems really upset by the fact that you are with Lee."

You blinked, flustered as words seemed to fail you, "what? Me? With Lee? Heh, no. Not happening."

"You don't have to lie to me, (Y/n), I'm no snitch," She shrugged and smiled a little. "But seriously...me and Longshot are worried about him. You should be careful."

You frowned a little, "I'll keep that in mind."

You didn't realize, however, the consequences this would all have on Jet.

Because now, you were a traitor in his eyes. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" You blurted from across the tea shop, suddenly finding your voice. "Jet, they work in a tea shop."

"I saw the old man heating his tea!" His gaze snapped back in your direction, his expression flashing with betrayal. "I know you don't believe me but I know damn well what I saw!" 

"Drop your swords, boy. Nice and easy." 

Jet suddenly seemed a bit regretful if his sudden outburst, stepping backwards ever-so-slightly in the shocked silence of the shop as his gaze snapped back up to meet Zuko. Your knuckles were white with how hard you were clutching the tray.

"You'll have to defend yourself." His gaze was locked with Zuko's as he smirked. "Then everyone will know."

The room stayed still and silent, waiting for what was about to happen as the bottoms of Jet's shoes clicked against the wood floor. "Go ahead," he chuckled darkly, now inches away from Zuko. "Show them what you can do."

Your hand reached out to grab the prince's arm, squeezing it to remind Zuko to stay calm as he held his ground. "Lee--"

"You want a show?" Zuko growled, before quickly pulling two swords from a Dai Li member and stepping forwards, you could almost feel your stomach flip. "I'll give you a show."

Before you could even comprehend what was happening, Zuko launched a table at Jet. The other male quickly jumped out of the way and bolted at the Prince--the shrill bangs of metal against metal could be heard as they fought, and Iroh ushered you to the side.

You watched in horror as your two closest friends violently slashed at one another, Jet eventually managing to slice a table in two as the crowd around them shrieked with either applause or fear.

"Let them fight it out." Iroh advised you as you tore your eyes away from the quarrel. "Lee wouldn't be able to forgive himself if you ended up getting hurt."

You glanced back over just as Jet shoved Zuko out of a window, the prince quickly stumbled to regain his balance as the sound of glass shattering rang throughout the shop.

That was your last straw. Quickly, you shoved past costumers and bolted out of the doors, sliding to a halt as you unsheathed your blade and threw yourself between Zuko and Jet just as Jet brought his weapon down on the prince.

Metal clashed against metal as your sword met Jet's weapon, you struggled to keep your blade up as the other male showed no mercy. His eyes filled with menace as you felt your feet start to slide backwards towards Zuko.

"Jet that's enough!" You snapped, "walk away right now. I don't want to hurt you."

"(Y\n)." Zuko argued between breathes, "this isn't your battle to fight."

"Yes it is." You seethed, putting all your energy into not letting your sword slip as you returned Jet's heavy stare. "Jet listen to me! Please! You're gonna get us all arrested!"

"Please, Son! You're confused! You don't know what you're doing!" Iroh added.

Jet didn't even take a second to listen to anyone. His eyes never left your's as he spoke to Zuko, "if you want the girl to leave here alive," he said between breaths, "you're gonna have to fire bend."

You held your breath. You knew Jet was stronger than you were, that was no secret. Your heart hammered in your chest as the muscles in your arms screamed for you to stop. 

You had to do something.

With a quick movement, you brought your sword down and violently knocked one of the metal weapons from Jet's hands. He let out a loud yelp as the handle of your sword collided with his, and the weapon clamored to the ground.

You barely got a second to catch your breath before Jet tripped you, quickly grabbing your wrists tightly and lifting them. Your breathing quickened as you felt the sharp coldness of metal against your throat. Every muscle in your body froze. 

No no no.

Zuko felt his heart rate pick up with anger as he stood there, his knuckles white from the sheer force he was clenching the blades with. Jet appeared to be in a sick state of determination, the blade held close to your neck.

That expression on your face was certainly never something Zuko had seen before in his life. He had never seen you this scared and angry before, not even when you almost fell off the cliff.

Something about this scenario terrified you to your core and had you frozen to where you stood for several seconds.

And just like that; you snapped out of your strange haze. Zuko barely barely got his thoughts in order before Jet erupted in a sudden cry of pain. His weapon clattered to the ground as he grabbed his apparently injured wrist. You took this chance to trip him, sending him clattering to the ground as you jumped to your feet, stumbling.

Zuko quickly rushed to your aid as you took a few deep breaths.

"What the hell was that?!" Jet growled through gritted teeth and quick breaths, "Y-you didn't even touch me!"

"Drop your weapons!" The Dai Li broke up the growing crowd of people as they approached the three of you.

"They're fire benders! Arrest them!" Jet yelled frantically, struggling to push himself to his feet. "The girl injured my damn wrist!"

"Right after you stormed into our tea shop, attacked us without warning, and broke a window!" You exclaimed. "You're delusional, Jet! What the hell is the matter with you?"

"This poor boy is confused! We're just simple refugees."

"This young man wrecked my tea shop and assaulted my employees!"

"It's true sir, we saw the whole thing." Another officer added, "this young man attacked the finest tea maker in the city." 

Jet looked around frantically as the Dai Li grabbed his wrists and he let out a stifled cry of pain. "w-wait I--" his gazed settled on you as he tried to struggle loose. "This is all your fault!"

"I'm sorry, Jet." You said, not letting your determined expression not falter in the slightest. "But this is for the best."

"You traitor! You're gonna regret this!" He exclaimed, fighting against the agents that started to drag him off down the street. "You don't understand! They're fire nation! You have to believe me!"

The world spun around you as Jet cussed you out and hollered from down the street. Your heart screamed as you had to turn away, your hand clasped over your mouth as you thought for a moment you were going to be sick.

Until it was silent again. People slowly started to filter away from the street as you felt raindrops start to pitter against your shoulders.

It was a few moments until amyone said anything.

"You knew him?" Zuko questioned, his voice stern as he turned to you. "How the hell did he know you're name? How did he know?"

"Lee, please--"

"How long has this been going on, (Y/n)?" His voice morphed into a ringing in your ears as your vision blurred. The feeling of Jet's weapon held tightly against your throat never leaving your mind as your legs suddenly gave out beneath you. You dropped your sword and stumbled to the side, Zuko gasped and was quick to catch you.

Your vision went dark.


	14. Chapter 14

The rheumatic sound of rain slowing to a stop against his window was almost comforting as Zuko stared at his dark ceiling. Sleep was hard to come by, and especially that night as you were in the room next to him, still asleep as he presumed.

The hours that passed after the attack were mostly spent helping to clean the tea shop and getting interviewed by the Dai Li, and all suspicion seemed to be cleared from their names; thank the spirits. 

It was strange to be treated nicely after all the hostility he faced on his travels. Though he did get the occasional staring civilian or unhappy customer, people tended to be pleasant here in Ba Sing Se. Dare the exiled prince say that he actually enjoyed it--though he would never really admit it.

But you? You were a whole different story.

Conspiracies about how you and Jet knew eachother filled Zuko's head as he struggled to drift off to sleep. Part of him wanted to think that he was just someone you met on your travels, but deep down he knew that wasn't the case. You were conspiring against him, and it took everything in him not to get angry.

He sat up, frowning as he cursed and gave up on sleeping. Pushing his blankets aside, he ran his hand through his hair--still shaky from the nightmare he had woken up from hours before.

Iroh told him not to get mad at you before you explained yourself--so he wouldn't. But a big part of him dreaded having to ask you what happened when you woke up the next morning.

The ravenet sighed as he left the room, rubbing his eyes as he figured he'd get something to drink and then go get some fresh air to clear his head.

His and Iroh's apartment was nothing big, though they tended to spend most of their days at the tea shop, so it worked out quite well. Everything was neatly in place and only a few of Zuko's things lay spralled out on the table in the dark.

He shivered as a breeze met his bare forearms and he glanced up to see a window hanging open. A gentle night wind stirred the room and broke the silence as Zuko tilted his head in confusion. Blue moonlight lit up the room.

Someone had to have opened it.

Zuko, now wide awake, silently grabbed his swords out of his bag and unsheathed them quickly. His gaze danced around the room as he listened and watched for any movement, and soon made his way throughout the small apartment, checking every square inch for an intruder.

He could hear his uncle's quiet snores coming from his room, and quickly noticed the extra room's door was hanging open.

You were nowhere to be found inside. Your blankets on the ground had been pushed aside.

Zuko's heart dropped a little. Had you run away?

Quickly, he rushed back to the window, his hands gripping the windowsill as he scanned the empty streets of Ba Sing Se. Rainwater dripped from the roof onto the top of his head and he looked up.

He saw the vaguest trace of movement.

Swallowing heavily, he climbed up so that he was standing on the windowsill, his hands tightly gripping the wet wood around the window as he suddenly realized how absolutely terrible of an idea this was. 

Cautiously, he quickly climbed his way up the rest of the building and was a bit out-of-breath as he reached the roof. Taking a minute to collect himself, he looked up.

You were situated at the very edge of the building, your legs crossed almost as if you were meditating while you stared out over the city, looking oddly relaxed. Your body was silhouetted against the dark sky just barely as your hair flowed freely in the wind.

Deja Vu creeped at the back of Zuko's mind as he approached quietly, not wanting to disturb you if you were, in fact, meditating.

But your voice broke the silence, "did you know that the moon and the tides were the original water benders?"

He was a bit caught off-guard by your sudden remark, so he stayed silent. Any anger he had felt before was sucked out of his body at the exhausted undertone in your voice.

"They took the form as two koi fish in an Oasis in the Northern Water Tribe, they work together to form the waves of the ocean. Pushing and pulling. La and Tui. They keep everything balanced." You continued, your voice strong but gentle. "If something happens and things are thrown out of balance, chaos can ensue. It happened for a few minutes a while back, when the moon disappeared. An old coworker of mine captured Tui momentarily."

"General Zhao." Zuko said with a nod, situating himself beside you on the ledge. "I was there."

"You were?"

"Well, I wasn't helping him." The prince added quickly. "But I saw everything." He processed your words in his head. "How in the hell do you know General Zhao?"

"I'd done a few missions for him in the past." You sighed again, letting your legs dangle off the edge as you rubbed your bare arms. "Mostly just breaking fire nation war criminals out of earth kingdom prisons and stuff."

He hummed in response. Your decision on remaining neutral but still active in the war confused him, but then again, a lot of things about you did. That's probably why he was so drawn to you.

"I'm sorry about the incident with Jet." 

His attention snapped back to you at the sound of his past ally's name.

"He said some things about my family, and I was being stupid. His words just..." You ran your hands over your face. "God, I'm so confused."

He put his hand on your shoulder. For once in his damned life, he wasn't angry. He thought he would be, but there was an ache in his heart at how you acted, but he knew how you felt.

Because you and him were completely different people, but also somehow exactly the same.

"Tell me everything." He said, keeping his voice low in fear of upsetting you.

You turned your head to meet his gaze, your eyes glistened in the moonlight as Zuko realized you had been crying. You let out a breath of what sounded like relief as you pulled your legs up to your chest.

"Jet told me he suspected there were fire benders working at your tea shop. I never expected to see you there." You explained, "I tried to tell him I wouldn't do it, but, he convinced me otherwise."

"So you were planning on turning us in?"

"No." You bit your lip. "...yes." You let out a groan of frustration as you rested your head in your hands, your voice sounding distressed in a way Zuko hadn't heard from you before. "I don't know. His family was taken by the fire nation, too. But, I just..."

Zuko stayed silent once again as you collected your thoughts.

"...Should I be angry? Have I been hating the fire nation this entire time and was just in denial?" You were rambling at this point, but you could care less. "I know I can't capture the avatar. I'm failing my family. I know it. I'm just...I guess I'm getting desperate." You finished.

Zuko let your words hang in the air for a minute as he thought about what you said, before he almost subconsciously entwined your scarred hand with his. Your shockingly cold skin felt almost alien against his, but it was comforting. Your hand squeezed his as if you were scared he might disappear if you let go.

"Your hands are freezing..." The male stated, his eyes scanned the area before he stood up on the ledge, your hand still in his as he helped you to your feet. 

Your eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion as he led you off the ledge and towards the center of the rooftop. He took both your hands and smiled at you reassuringly as he sat down again, his legs crossed.

"What are you doing?"

"Here."

He cupped his hands underneath your scarred ones as you stared down in wonder. A blush heated Zuko's face slightly at how close the two of you were--your knees brushing together. A small flame flickered to life and you flinched at the sudden warmth at your palms...though it wasn't hot nor close enough to burn. You let out a breath, watching the flame lick and sputter in the air above your hands.

"For what it's worth..." The words tumbled out of Zuko's mouth before he could stop them as his gaze stared at the full moon above. "I'm confused, too."

You looked back up at him, watching as the yellow light danced across his angular features and shadowed against his scar. Though he certainly had the firebender spark in his eyes, you didn't feel the same uncomfortableness you did when you made eye contact with his father.

And though he certainly tried to act like it sometimes, he didn't carry the same uncaring ruthlessness, either.

"Don't tell anyone about this, but I fear uncle might be right. What if my destiny doesn't actually lie in capturing the avatar? And there's a chance I'm wrong about this whole thing?"

A sudden realization struck you. If you and Zuko find the avatar, who brings him to Ozai? There's no chance he'd give you the money if he found out you teamed up with his disowned son.

What the hell were you going to do?

"I guess we're more similar than we thought, huh?" You said to yourself with a small scoff, pushing your worries to the back of your head.

"I guess so."

"But...how did you forgive me so easily?" You asked, "you seemed so pissed after the fight yesterday."

He smiled again. His smile always made your heart flutter, especially considering it was a rare occurrence. "A stranger I once stayed with on my travels told me that being angry over something in the past is a waste of energy." Zuko's eyes met your's again. "And that it's best to use that energy to fix it so that it doesn't happen again."

You grinned, feeling the nip of tears stinging behind your eyes as you blinked the feeling away and turned your attention back to the fire in your hands. "You sound like you really liked that stranger."

The flame dispersed and he leaned in slightly, brushing a hair away from your face as he looked into your eyes. His amber gaze sparkled in the moonlight. "I do."

He finally closed the distance between you as he leaned in and pressed your lips against his. Your heart jumped as you lifted your hand to run your thumb over his scar as you usually did.

It was that moment that you knew, eventually, everything was going to work out okay.


	15. Chapter 15

It's almost amazing the amount of change that can occur in just two weeks.

After Zuko's half-confession on the rooftop, the two of you spent the rest of the night exploring the city. The exploring quickly turned to an innocent game of hide-and-seek. Well, minus all the running from Dai Li agents and night guards. 

It felt like you were a kid again.

Zuko made all the burdens and worries you carried on your shoulders melt away, even if it was just for a few hours at a time.

You were truely, undoubtedly, in love with him.

And it felt amazing.

Before you knew it, you and Zuko officially announced your relationship to Iroh. It happened by complete accident, the old man having caught the two of you during a pretty heated kissing session in the back room. 

"Uncle!" Zuko snapped, his face red with embarrassment and his voice filled with surprise as he quickly turned around to shoot a glare at Iroh. You bursted out laughing from your spot on the counter at the sight of the anger in his face.

Iroh chuckled loudly as he shut the door and went off to continue working, while it took you a good few minutes for your laughter to come to a complete stop and for Zuko to stop fuming with pure embarrassment.

Of course, Iroh wasn't surprised in the slightest, nor did he really mind at all, and teased the prince about it at whatever chance he got while the three of you worked.

It wasn't long until one fateful day arrived where Iroh was asked to open his own shop in the upper ring. He seemed ecstatic about the idea, and you were even more surprised to learn that Iroh had invited you to move in with them. Considering you weren't exactly in Ba Sing Se legally, and your hotel owner was starting to get impatient with you anyway, you quickly accepted the invitation.

It was sunny and surprisingly warm as you breathed in the scent of the morning air, clutching a bag of what little belongings you had as you strode down a quiet alleyway.

It had been three days since you had last seen Zuko and Iroh, considering they already moved their belongings up to the upper ring and were just waiting on you. But that was okay, you were enjoying the quiet days off just to explore the city, stealing things and reeking general havok. Even now you found the walk relaxing.

It didn't last long, though. 

You stopped at the sound of a far-off cry down the alleyway. It sounded vaguely like your name as two sets of footsteps started to get louder and louder. Your eyebrows furrowed together as you listened closer.

"(Y/n)!"

Suddenly, you were caught off-guard by a shorter person wrapping their arms around your torso tightly, causing you to yelp and stumble forwards a few steps. A grin crossed your face as you saw the familiar red-and-blue armor and fluffy brown hair.

"Smellerbee!" You exclaimed, returning the hug before nodding at her quiet companion not far behind. Longshot smiled and nodded back. "What are you two still doing here? It's dangerous."

"We went back to your apartment but saw it was empty." The young girl explained, her voice now serious as she broke away from the hug. "We found something that may help you find the Avatar on the other side of the city."

Your eyes widened and you blinked, "Really?"

Longshot quickly dug through his pockets before handing you a crumpled-up paper. Carefully smoothing it out, your eyes widened as your heart lurched in your chest. "The Avatar's bison?"

"Yeah, we think the Dai Li took it." Smellerbee explained further, her voice fast with excitement. "Wherever they're keeping him, Jet might be there, too!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! There's gotta be a prison somewhere, right?"

You took a moment to think before standing back up to your full height, sliding your sword back into its place at your side as you thought.

Zuko's probably found one of these posters already.

"Thank you guys, so much." You said, ruffling Smellerbee's hair. "I'll be sure to look for Jet while I'm out, alright? I know someone that might be able to help."

"Wait, we're coming too." Smellerbee retorted. "Jet's our friend. We have to help."

"Jet would want both of you out of danger, we don't know what the Dai Li are capable of and the more people we have breaking into their prisons the more suspicious we'll be." You smiled reassuringly, "Jet will be fine."

Smellerbee sighed, crossing her arms, "I suppose you're right."

"Besides. It's very likely he's broken out already anyway, knowing him. I need you two up here to look for him in case he did."

"Okay. We'll do that." Smellerbee smiled as she nodded. "Be careful, (Y/n)."

"You too."

Zuko sighed quietly to himself as he ran his thumb over the chipping blue paint on his infamous mask. 

The Blue Spirit was someone he quite honestly wished he could be more often. Nobody could see the bright, ugly scar that marked the shameful excuse of a prince that he was. Nobody pitied him for his past. Nobody felt superior to him. Nobody knew his motives. People feared him, but not because he was Zuko.

He wasn't the banished prince when he wore the mask. 

He wasn't the heir to Firelord Ozai.

He was just his mother's son.

For it was her mask that he held in his hands.

He didn't know exactly why she had owned it--hell, he didn't know much about her to begin with. But when he wore it he felt close to her.

Despite the fact that he knew, deep down, she wouldn't be proud of him. Why would she be? He was a sad excuse of a future firelord. Even his own father hated him.

Stop.

He closed his eyes and took a breath, letting the mask clatter to the table as he leaned his hands against it.

Any questions he had about his destiny before had left his brain. For the first time in months, he had hope that he could return to his kingdom.

Your face slipped into his mind again. Your smile as the two of you wondered around the city, the sparkle in your eyes when they met his, the way butterflies filled his stomach everytime you touched him.

His heart ached.

Damn it!

Why did he feel like he was betraying you?

His mind had been racing back and forth so much the past few hours he felt sick. It could've been the sleep deprivation setting in, or simply just the stress of moving. But he did, genuinely, feel sick.

His head lifted to glare into his reflection in the mirror, his angular eyes sparkled in the afternoon light. He knew he couldn't let some girl come in the way of his plans. He wouldn't.

I'm going to get my honor back.

I will earn my father's love.

·⇩⇩⇩·

Iroh was pretty content with the was everything was turning out.

He had gotten his own tea shop in a relaxing city where the war didn't exist, away from his brother and his nation, and his nephew was finally starting to question his true motives and move on with his life.

What was there not to be happy about?

He did, however, have his growing suspicions about you.

Nothing terrible, he knew that deep in your soul you were a good person with good morals.

But he knew what you were. He knew your secret. It wasn't hard to figure out. He was surprised by the fact that you didn't remember who he was, though. He was sure that someone as high up on every nation's wanted list as you were you would recognize the Great Dragon of the West immeadiately.

But he knew you would change your ways of destruction and war. He knew you were experiencing the same spiritual turmoil Zuko was, though obviously you were handling it a lot better. He knew you would be okay and set yourself on the right path to your destiny eventually.

As for Zuko?

Iroh only hoped to whatever spirits were listening that his nephew would eventually follow in your footsteps, and not his father's.

The old man sighed, having since unpacked most of his belongings into the new apartment as he wondered what the prince had gotten up to. He assumed the boy had either gone out to clear his head, or went back to help you. Both of which were probable, considering Zuko wasn't too happy about moving to the upper ring to begin with.

His worry, however, only grew at the sound of the front door being swung open and slammed shut as an out-of breath girl stumbled into the room.

Iroh blinked, furrowing his brow at your disheveled appearance as he opened his mouth to ask what what happened.

"It's Zuko..." You interrupted, taking a breath and looked up to meet Iroh's gaze. "Where's Zuko?"

"I went out to buy us food for tonight," Iroh gestured for you to sit down, which you gratefully agreed. "He wasn't here when he came back."

"Shit, I'm too late!" You growled, running your hands down your face, "he could've already left the city by now."

"Why? What happened?" The older man questioned further, standing up.

You sighed, "it's the Avatar." You slid the crumpled piece of paper over towards him. "He went to find the Avatar."


	16. Chapter 16

Darkness swallowed you like a thick blanket as you plunged into the depths of the tunnels of Lake Laogai, Iroh following your path at a bit of a slower pace as you ran blindly down the hallways.

You slid to a halt at a pitch-black corner, listening closely to the sound of multiple Dai Li agents approaching as you tightly clutched your sword.

You waited.

"The animal is chained up in the biggest room just like you asked, sir."

"Good." The second member said, swinging a lantern over his shoulder. "That should be all for tonight, since we don't have to worry about security."

You picked out a small pebble and tossed it to the other end of the hallway. It echoed endlessly and eerily down the catacombs.

"What was that?"

"Stay quiet." The guy with the lantern spoke again. "I think someone's here."

You smirked as you seamlessly slipped past the agents, avoiding all suspicion of where you were as you continued down the hallway.

You began to notice footprints in the soft layer of dirt on the stone floors.

Your heart bounced in your chest as you picked up your pace, following them further down the hallway and to a large vault lit by green lanterns.

It was open.

The door shrieked as you pushed it open with a grunt and stumbled inside.

Your eyes widened. 

Well, this was certainly unexpected.

The Blue Spirit seemed to freeze mid-tug as they dropped the chain that restricted the large, foreign animal to the ground. They stumbled backwards a few steps, obviously not expecting to have been followed.

You smirked.

This was it.

Maybe not exactly what Ozai wanted you to bring him, but an uncaught traitor to the nation would certainly get you a few big steps closer to your goal.

But you didn't give the Blue Spirit time to collect themself. You quickly drew your sword and launched yourself at them. You Ignored your exhausted lungs as metal crashed against metal.

They barely had time to react as you swung your sword over and over again. Their reactions were quick as they blocked every one of your strikes, though stumbling backwards clumsily as they struggled to hold their ground.

It was two swords against one as the stranger blocked your blade with their own, staring deep into your eyes as you felt the thrill of the fight in your chest. "Bit clumsy now, are we?" You sneered, "seems like you've lost a few steps since leaving the fire nation."

Eventually, they swiped at your legs and you quickly launched yourself out of the way, before ducking under their attack which ended up getting their sword stuck in the stone wall.

You took this as an advantage as you quickly tackled them. The floor collided with your back painfully as the two of you summer-saulted across it before you slammed the stranger against the wall.

Your hands shook with exhilaration as you pressed your sword against their neck, basically straddling them as you both struggled to catch your breath. The stranger grunted, stuned as he relaxed against the wall.

"Blue Spirit." You sneered between breaths, blood running down the side of your face due to a small cut on your brow; you reached for the mask. "traitor to the fire nation, thief, fugitive, and deserter..."

"Wait-- (Y/n)...stop." The person weekly took the chin of the mask in their hand before pulling it off. "It's me."

The face that you were met with caught you so off-guard it nearly gave you whiplash. He coughed, out of breath and panting as he stared up at you. His gaze unreadable but certainly just as bewildered as you were as his jet black hair fell back down over his scar.

You quickly scrambled away, dropping your sword to the ground as a surprised yelp left your mouth, "Zuko?!"

He looked down, wiping some blood from his mouth as he pushed himself to his feet. Zuko's golden eyes danced with determination as he leaned against the wall for support, his voice held borderline annoyance. "What are you doing here?"

"We were just about to ask you the same thing."

Iroh stepped in behind you, his face stoic but calm as he approached the two exhausted teens, "what do you two plan to do now that you have the Avatar's bison? Keep him locked in our new apartment? Should I go make a new pot of tea for him?"

Your eyes looked back over to meet Zuko's. Sure, you had suspected it, but never in a million years did you actually think your conspiracy about Zuko being the Blue Spirit would be right. You were still dazed as you ran your hand through your hair, your thoughts wild and dizzying as you stumbled back to your feet.

Zuko dropped his gaze as he shifted uncomfortably, like a child caught doing something wrong, "well, first I have to get it out of here--"

"And then what?" Iroh's tone made even you flinch as you backed towards the door, both to leave Zuko and his uncle to argue and to be a look out. "You never think these things through! This is exactly what happened when you captured the avatar at the north pole. You had him, and then you had nowhere to go!"

"I would've figured something out eventually!"

"No! If his friends wouldn't have found you, you would have frozen to death!"

You leaned back against the wall for support, your dazed eyes looking over the black uniform Zuko wore as well as the mask in his hands. You couldn't believe it. Not in a million years.

"I don't need your approval, Uncle!" Zuko growled back, pulling his sword out of the wall. "I know what I'm doing! I know my own destiny! (Y/n), you agree with me, right?"

Your gaze switched heavily between Zuko and Iroh as you were still struggling to get your thoughts in line. Too much was happening all at once. "I..." You swallowed the lump in your throat and stood up straighter as you turned your gaze to meet his. "I'm afraid your uncle's right."

The prince blinked, a bit shocked as he scrunched his nose with annoyance and avoided eye contact.

"Is it really your own destiny, or is it a destiny someone else tried to force on you, Zuko?" Iroh continued.

Zuko growled again, his hands travelling to each side of his head, "Stop it! Both of you!" He turned to face the bison. "I have to do this!"

The desperation in his tone broke your heart a little as you approached him. "No you don't." You explained, "can't you see this'll get us nowhere? We're outnumbered! The Avatar and his friends would surely beat us! You know this."

"Stay out of this, (Y/n)." He shrugged your hand off, "this has nothing to do with you."

"I'm begging you Prince Zuko!" Iroh pleaded, "It's time for you to start looking inward, and answering the big questions. Who are you? And what do you want?"

A moment passed as the prince froze. You could've sworn the dirt underneath his shoes sizzled with heat as he tensed. With a furious yell and a swift movement, Zuko flung his swords to the ground. "Fine!" He declared, snapping back around to face you and the old man. "I'll set the bison free! You happy now?!"

You stayed silent, your scarred hands clenching into fists as you looked to Iroh for his reaction. The older man's gaze softened as he sighed, lowering his head as he shook it. "I'll be outside watching for any Dai Li, you two break the chains off. And (Y/n)?"

You looked over at the older man, still finding it hard to speak.

Iroh nodded at you, "talk to him."

And he left.

You turned to the animal behind you, which was cowarding away from Zuko as the prince had wondered to the other side of the room--pacing and angry. You figured you would give him a minute to get his temper under control.

The bison was far larger than you imagined, he growled lowly and its tail swayed as you made eye contact with him. His large brown eyes scared and angry.

A small hum of curiosity left your mouth as you tilted your head, and took a step towards the beast.

He let out a growl, his mouth baring slightly to reveal the rows of teeth the size of your head. You then remembered your sword, carefully dropping it and kicking it away out of sight.

The beast's snarling subsided, and he shifted. The chains rattled as he moved. You smiled a bit as you took a few smaller steps towards him.

"It's okay, big guy." You said, reaching your arm out gently as if he were a dog. Your voice was gentle, whispering. "Me and Mr. Hothead over there are gonna get you out of here, okay? We won't hurt you."

The animal exhaled twice through its nose as he lifted his head, it felt like wind against your face. The whole situation felt surreal--meeting an original airbender. It was almost mystical.

Suddenly the animal roared and moved to the side, the chains clattered at the sudden movement, sending you flying backwards out of panic.

"Zuko!" You exclaimed, rushing to your feet at the sight of the young firebender melting the chains apart. He didn't look up, so you grabbed his wrists and forced them away from the chains. "What the hell do you think yo're doing? You're scaring him!"

"Well how else are we supposed to free it?" The prince pried his hands from your grasp. "It's just some stupid animal."

"Yeah, the last of his kind!" You flung your arm up to point at the shivering beast. "Not to mention one that could end your life with one swoop of that tail!"

The prince growled again, his hands grabbing at the sides of his head as if he were in pain, "I'm sick of people telling me what to do!" 

"Listen." You grabbed his burning hot wrists in your own as you forced the frustrated prince to look at you. "You need to calm down."

"How can I be calm when my ticket back home is probably in this building right now!" His voice cracked, the anger was melting into despair. "I'm failing! I'm failing again! How can I possibly be firelord if I can't even catch some stupid twelve-year-old?!"

"Zuko." Your eyes finally met as you interlaced your fingers with his. You squeezed them comfortingly. His expression was tense and unreadable. You lifted a hand to cup the side of his face. "Just breath. Alright? In..."

He took a shaking breath in.

"Out."

He let it out.

He relaxed a bit more as his eyes were closed, his eyebrows furrowed together as he finally focused on calming down and getting his thoughts straight.

"Capturing the Avatar was an impossible task to begin with," your voice was quiet and understanding as the firebender finally calmed down. "Why can't you see that?"

Zuko finally opened his eyes again, frowning to himself. At that moment he wasn't the skilled, stoic, determined firebender he always seemed to be. He wasn't the stranger you met those few months ago in the woods, either.

He' was just a scared, desperate, and stressed teenager.

"You're wrong." He managed to say through his scowl. Something was off, you could tell. It wasn't that he was holding back, or not telling the truth, but something was definitely going on inside his head.

Nevertheless, your heart ached as you pulled him to you, enveloping him into a tight hug as he let out a small gasp of surprise.

"For what it's worth." You added, "I think we're doing the right thing."

It took him a few seconds, but he slowly returned the hug. His arms tightly wrapped around your torso as he finally dropped the mask to the ground. You closed your eyes as you listened to him do his breathing exercises.

His grip on your clothes was still so tight, like he was scared of letting go.

"You're okay, Zuko." You sighed quietly, "common, we'll talk more when we get home, alright? Help me get these cuffs off this bison."

A shuddering sigh left the male's lips as he had finally come to terms with the situation and could think semi-straight again.

But still, neither of you broke away from the hug.

"Okay."


	17. Chapter 17

A sigh left your mouth as you finally collapsed into your new bed, your muscles aching from the obscene amount of running and fighting you had experienced in the past day. Your hand brushed over the cut on your forehead and you brought your fingers back to see a tad of crimson blood.

The walk back was awkward and silent. Zuko trailed further ahead to avoid conversation while you and Iroh were a bit further behind. It was long past sunset by the time you arrived back to the apartment in the upper ring, and you were thoroughly exhausted. Both physically and mentally. The prince was silent, having fallen behind sometime during the walk as he dragged his dual swords behind him.

You closed your eyes, processing the events that had occurred throughout the day.

Zuko was the Blue Spirit. Cool. Great. You could deal with that. After all, you did see it coming. The only question was why. Why did he feel the need to hide his identity like that? Why did he constantly swing back and fourth between being happy and being sickly determined to hunt down the Avatar?

It felt like the more you got answers for the more the questions just kept coming.

Jet was dead.

You took a detour on your way out of the secret hideout, and stumbled upon the gasping male, unable to move as he coughed and choked on his own blood--his two comrades at his sides. Longshot's bow loaded and pointed at the entrance and Smellerbee sobbing quietly.

"Oh no." You cried, stumbling over as all common sense failed you. You quickly rushed to Jet's side. "What happened?"

"He was brainwashed." Smellerbee furiously wiped at her tears, "he was brainwashed and snapped out of it just in time to be attacked by an earthbender."

Your breath hitched in your throat as Jet's hazy eyes turned to meet your's, the color was starting to drain from his face. Your heart broke. "Jet, I--"

"Don't apologize, (Y/n)." His voice was just barely audible as he struggled to breath, much less move. "This is all my fault."

"No no no! Stop it. Stop talking." You choked back a sob, "I am not letting another friend of mine die. Not on my watch." 

"I don't think you can save him, (Y/n)..." Smellerbee sighed, tightly grasping her leader's hand in her own. "It's too late. He's dying."

Your frantic gaze met Jet's as he managed a small smile. You frowned and gripped his sleeve with so much force your knuckles were turning white. "...I'm so sorry."

"Stop blaming yourself." Jet choked, a cough wracking his body as another drop of blood ran from his mouth. "Get out of here before they get to you, too. I'll be fine."

"But what about--"

"I said go!"

And with an aching, heavy heart; you obeyed his dying wish.

So now there you were.

Laying on your bed.

Alone.

You felt tears well up in your eyes--but you were sick of crying. You sat up on your bed and crossed your legs, your eyes closed as you kept control of your breathing and started to meditate. You focused on the quiet darkness of your room as you shoved away any thoughts of Jet or other not-so-happy memories. Anything to distract you from the thoughts that welled up in your head.

Well, until you heard a small knock against your door frame. You opened one eye to see a figure standing in the light of your doorway, a candle in his hands as he was silhouetted against the light of the hallway.

You closed your eyes again. "Meditating here."

"I know."

You sighed at the familiar raspiness of Zuko's voice, you shifted to give him room to sit on the bed as he dragged his feet while he entered. He let out a breath as he sat next to you on your bed the candle resting in his hands, he hung his head as he ran his hand through his short hair.

"Sorry I beat the shit out of you earlier." You said, falling backwards to lay beside him. You couldn't really see his face in the dark, but your leg brushed against his comfortingly.

"It's fine." He answered, his voice flat. "I kinda deserved it, anyway."

You hummed in response and he rested his free hand on your leg.

"Are you doing okay?"

Your expression fell and you turned to stare back at the ceiling. Your heart ached again at the thought of Jet. Yet another death to weigh on your conscious for all of your life. "Yeah."

"You're lying."

"I know."

Zuko sighed again. He sounded exhausted, and you couldn't blame him. "You went back to look for Jet earlier, didn't you?" There was just a tinge of jealousy in his tone that immediately pulled at something in your chest.

Your heart jumped in your chest again. Your voice was quiet and emotionless as you answered with a simple, "He's dead."

Zuko's head turned to look at you. You couldn't bare to make eye contact. "He died protecting the avatar from the Dai Li. He's a nonbender, he stood no chance." You explained further.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine." You turned to lay on your side. "It's just...a thing. Nothing I haven't dealt with before. I'll be fine."

He hummed, "I think I get it now."

You gave the prince a confused look.

"You haven't healed from your past as well as you're letting on. You're just locking the bad memories away so you don't have to think about them." The prince said, "you won't let yourself heal because it hurts too much."

You blinked with surprise that quickly turned to anger. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you aren't healed, (Y/n), you're in denial."

You felt anger start to bubble in your chest as you turned again, your voice raising. "What the hell do you know about my trauma?"

Zuko flinched a bit at your tone, his expression one that showed he was almost offended. In the low light that almost, just barely, hid his scar, you could see the bags forming under his uninjured eye. His charred skin looked extra red in the darkness as you remembered who you were talking to.

You suddenly felt embarrassed for asking that question as you turned back to face the wall with an aggravated grunt, "it's not me you should be worried about." You said, changing the subject. "What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

You took note that his words were almost slurred together. Had he been talking like that this whole time?

"Well, you seem pretty exhausted." You observed, "I didn't injure you at all, did I?"

"No." His response came quick. "Just...tired." You felt him shift a little. "And...dizzy..."

A thud echoed throughout the room followed by the clatter of the candle hitting the ground, you immediately bolted upright. "Zuko?"

The teenager let out a groan as you saw the outline of his dark figure laying still against the tile floor. His breathing swallow and heavy as he shivered. Quickly, you shouted for Iroh and rushed to the unconscious boy's aid, setting his head in your lap as you ran your shaking hands through his hair.

But he wasn't injured.

He was sick.


	18. Chapter 18

Discomfort almost seemed to wrack Zuko's entire body as he coughed, sending a wave of pain through his chest and throat as he struggled to get comfortable under the warmth of the blankets. The morning sunlight from his window that usually calmed him almost seemed blinding as his eyes blinked open.

He had drifted in and out of consciousness almost all night while Iroh kept an eye on him from his spot on the floor. His sleep plagued with the worst nightmares he had ever gotten, he still felt like he hadn't slept in days.

His decision under Lake Laogai was so against his character that it ended up screwing with his mind and body. It was possible he could be bedridden for days, weeks even. Just the thought of him being stuck in that damn apartment with a bad cold while the avatar was still out there frustrated him to his core.

Zuko sat up slowly, goosebumps rising on his sweaty skin as the chilly morning air met his shirtless figure. He was still unbelievably dizzy and every little movement hurt his joints, but, it was no where near as bad as the night before.

Speaking of which--he could only remember small snippets of what occurred after collapsing on your floor. Everything seemed hazy, like a dream or a distant memory. He remembered the panicked look on your face when you came to his aid. The feeling of your shaky, cold fingers running comfortingly through his hair. Iroh sitting beside him and explaining that this was no normal sickness. 

But some time early that morning, after a long night of night terrors, migraines, and painful coughing fits--he had fallen asleep peacefully.

And then, waking up, he felt just a bit better than before. 

But the house was quiet. A blanket and pillow sat next to his small make-shift bed, suggesting someone may have stayed most of the night with him. But you and the old man were now nowhere to be seen, and only the sound of birds and a gentle rain from outside filled the silence.

Slowly and carefully, he got to his feet, wrapping the blanket around his freezing form. The world swam around him and for a moment he thought he was going to be sick as he fell against the wall to steady himself. Afterwards, however, he made his way out of the small room.

"Uncle?" He nearly flinched at how awful his own voice sounded, and he took a minute to cough and clear it up before quietly navigating the empty apartment.

A small sound, almost like someone sniffling came from the main room of the quiet apartment. A pitiful, quiet sob of despair followed as the prince stopped dead in his tracks. 

Slowly and quietly, he peaked around the corner to see you, sitting down in front of a table. Your elbows propped up onto it as you pressed your palms into your eyes. Your hair cascading down your face and concealing most of it from view.

Zuko's heart lurched in his chest. He didn't know why seeing you in such an emotional, vulnerable state broke his heart so much. You just always seemed so...collected. Happy. Caring.

In control.

He swallowed heavily, his grip on the edge of the wall to keep his balance tightening for a moment.

For a second, Zuko almost turned and went right back to his room. Whatever you were going through wasn't any of his business, much less his responsibility to help you with.

But he cursed inwardly at those unwanted thoughts. 

Carefully, he pushed himself away from the wall, his limbs felt like bricks as Zuko quietly made his way over. The prince's heart thudded nervously in his chest as he wordlessly sat down beside you.

He placed a comforting hand on your back, rubbing circles as you tensed and then relaxed into his touch. Before long you were leaning against him, his arms wrapped around you as you continued to sob into the blanket he had. He held you tight, his head resting against your own.

After a few minutes, you settled down. Small hiccups leaving your throat every now and then as neither of you moved a muscle. He felt that he could stay like this forever, alone with you in the empty apartment, without any worries or responsibilities to think about.

It was a while before you finally broke away from the hug and looked up at him, your expression slightly embarrassed as you rubbed the remaining tears from your eyes.

His heart melted at your expression, so gentle and worried despite the fact that you nearly killed him the night before. An expression of trust he had never really seen from many people in the past.

Zuko didn't know what he did to deserve you, much less earn your love.

However, he couldn't help but wander what tragic secrets you were hiding behind those exhausted eyes. His crippling curiosity about what happened and who you were growing more with each passing day, and the fact that he didn't know what you were hiding--much less why--only added to his suspicion.

Suddenly, he was reminded of your conversation from the night before. How bitter you had gotten when Zuko finally admitted he had figured you out...he wasn't wrong. But you didn't bring it up, so he figured he would wait a while before asking the question that wracked his brain ever since he met you.

Who are you, (Y/n)?

"You're still burning up." He was snapped out of his thoughts at the feeling of your hand cupping his cheek, your voice quiet and just above a whisper.

He rested his hand on your wrist and gave you a small smile, "don't worry about me. I'm feeling a lot better now."

You hummed, "I figured I might have been able to ease the fever a little. The effects won't last much longer, though, considering it's not a normal sickness."

Zuko gave you a bit of a confused look.

A small smile crossed your face as your hand moved up to push the sweaty hair from his eyes, "my family is good with medicine and healing. I helped treat wounded and sick soldiers back home."

He hummed, figuring he would keep the mood light-hearted after walking in on you crying, he decided not to ask why you were so upset. "Did you sleep at all last night? You look exhausted."

"Look who's talking," you said, with a small frown as your hand fell from his cheek to rest on his leg. "You look like you spent the night fighting Dai Li members in a secret underground base."

He let out a laugh, before regret flashed in his mind immediately as he launched into another coughing fit. You pulled the blanket further over his shoulders as he doubled over and caught his breath.

"You should be resting," you noted, your hand resting across his back as you helped him, slowly, to his feet. "Common, I'll get some water and medicine ready for you."

Zuko frowned a little, even after everything, he still had an urge to do everything without help. He didn't deserve it; everything you and Iroh had done for him. He didn't know what the two of you saw in him, especially considering how awful he was to both of you in the past.

But, still, he was grateful, and he made a mental note that he would make all this up to you once this blew over.  
If this blew over.

Eventually, you helped the prince lay back down against his bed. He let out a small grunt as his migraine had returned full force, and he closed his eyes to relieve the pain in his skull.

He felt your hand brush over the scar on his face as he lay there, his eyes fluttering back open. Your hands were gentle as you looked at it with wonder, the scar red and quite evident across his pale skin. Your ice-cold fingers traced along the edge, as if you were healing it with your very hands. It wasn't long before an image of his father's unmerciful face filled his mind, sending a bright hot phantom pain across his scar as he subconsciously shot his hand up and grabbed your wrist.

Zuko's eyes were wide and afraid until he realized what he was doing, who he was with.

He didn't need to be so afraid.

His father wasn't here. The war wasn't here. He was finally free from his responsibilities and he would no longer be hurt again. Why had he been so desperate to go home before?

Zuko had everything he needed there in Ba Sing Se.

Right?

Your gaze snapped back up to meet his with surprize as you pulled your hand away from his grip, "oh, uh, sorry--" your face turned bright red as you stumbled over your words. "I was just...um..."

"No, i-it's okay." Zuko assured, flustered himself. "I'm just...still not used to...being touched. Like, friendly. Y'know?"

"Oh, uh...yeah." You let out a small awkward laugh as you rubbed the back of your neck with your hand. "I was just wondering..."

Zuko almost hadn't noticed the deep bags under your eyes until then, and they way they drooped down slightly when you weren't paying attention. 

You were up all night making sure he was okay.

"Wondering what?"

"Wondering how someone as kind-hearted as you could be related to Ozai of all people." You smiled again, "you two are really nothing alike."

Zuko blinked. 

Nothing alike...huh?

Funny how something people have said to him his entire life now almost seemed like a compliment coming out of your mouth. He let that phrase hang in the air as he smiled to himself.

Nothing alike...

The prince launched into another coughing fit before he could reply, feeling the sensation of his fever kicking back into full force again as the dizziness returned. He sucked in a breath, lowering himself back down onto his pillow as he screwed his eyes shut.

You gave his hand a tight squeeze as he managed to choke out, "It's getting bad again."

"I see." You sighed, getting to your feet as you walked back to a table on the far side of the room, where some leftover supplies sat on a table. "Iroh's out helping to get the tea shop open by the end of the week, so, it'll just be me and you today." 

Zuko shifted onto his side, trying to get comfortable as he couldn't decide if he was hot or cold. He assumed Iroh had told you what was wrong with him, so he wouldn't waste what little strength he had explaining it to you. Instead, he decided to ask.

"...Did you want to talk about it?"

You cursed as your elbow accidentally knocked over a cup of water, the dish clattering as it hit the floor causing both of you to cringe at the sound. A sigh left your mouth as you bent down to collect the small cup off the floor. "About what?"

"About your past." Zuko added, "you seem a lot more worked up about it lately than you were back in the woods."

You poured more water and walked back to Zuko's side. Placing your hand against his back as you helped him sit up and placed the cup to his lips. "I thought about what you said last night." You whispered, a frown crossing your features, "just...a lot of memories have been resurfacing lately. I'm not sure if I'm ready to talk about them yet."

Zuko lifted his hand to cup your cheek, your skin cold against his firebender skin as you closed your eyes and leaned into his touch. "I know," he said, with a small reasuring smile. "But whenever you're ready, I'll be right here to listen."

You mirrored the smile, your scarred hand resting over his own before you leaned down to place a small kiss on his forehead, "get some rest, Stranger."


	19. Chapter 19

"Ugh, will it ever stop raining?" You mumbled, pulling one of the many windows shut and shaking the water from your hair. It wasn't a pouring rain--but more like a soft, quiet sprinkle.

It had been a few days since the incident under Lake Laogai. You spent most of your time going back and forth between helping Iroh with the tea shop and taking care of the sick prince, but you weren't really complaining. For the most part, things were pretty much the same as they were a week before; well, besides the severe absence of Zuko's anst in the new tea shop.

Speaking of which, the prince's illness would fluctuate in intensity. Nights were usually the worst, your heart ached for him everytime you had to guide the sick prince back to his bed after a particularly bad fever dream. His stubbornness certainly came into play a lot when you and Iroh insisted he stay in bed instead of stumbling around the apartment as he pleased just because you lowered his fever again.

"You and uncle can't possibly do all that work on your own." He argued one day, seated at the table beside you, his head resting against his fist as his chopsticks messed with the barely-touched bowl of food in front of him. "I'm doing better now, I could help."

"You're out of your mind." You rolled your eyes and smiled a little, leaning against the counter as you sipped the hot tea in your hands. "You'd be lucky if you even managed to walk the whole way there without passing out again, moron."

He sat up straighter, sending you a stubborn glare that greatly contrasted his sickly expression, "It's just some weird cold, a good Firelord would press on through any obstacle in his way to achieve his goal."

"A good Firelord would know his limits," you snorted, with a trademark smirk. "And with that mindset you're not going to end up being anything but dead."

Zuko opened his mouth to retort, before rolling his eyes and grumbling under his breath as he slumped back into his seat.

It was at his worst parts of the illness that you worried for him. The way he tossed and turned in his state of unconsciousness, his face pale and his breathing heavy and shallow as he barely managed the strength to form more than a few sentences. 

He constantly muttered in his sleep. Small fragments of sentences that you could just barely make out, mostly involving the phrases 'mom,' 'Azula,' and 'Avatar.' Sweat coated his bare skin constantly as he tossed and turned in his place on the floor. Occasionally, he'd bolt awake from a nightmare with a loud yell, but it was never long before he was asleep again.

Despite the helplessness and stress it brought you to see him in that state, you hadn't left his side at all for the few days he was sick. Iroh advised that he should just sweat it out and to go back on the medicine. It wasn't long before your abilities were futile in lowering his fever, anyway, and he was entirely on his own when it came to getting better.

It made you more worried than you were willing to admit.

You crossed your legs as you prepared another small, wet towel to place atop the banished prince's head. He had been not nearly as conscious for the past two days, exchanging a few quiet words of how he was feeling or what his dreams were about to you every now-and-then, but his strength had dwindled quite a bit. He had barely left his spot on the ground for a while.

"Just hang in there a little longer, alright?" You whispered, unsure if he could hear you as you carefully lifted his head and put a cup of water to his lips--he took a few small sips, signifying to you that he was at least some-what awake. "I doubt it'll get any worse than this. Before you know it, this'll all just seem like a bad dream." You added.

A small grunt left his mouth as he stirred in his sleep again, his eyebrows furrowed as you gently let him lay down again and his body tensed and shivered. A frown crossed your face as you listened to the prince's rugged, uneven breathing.

You prayed to whatever spirits were listening that your words were right.

"I have to run out and get more ginger for your tea." You stated, pushing yourself to your feet as you dusted off your green kimono. "Iroh might be back before I am, but I'll try not to be long."

"Be careful." His voice was quiet and just barely above a whisper, it surprised you a bit. "Don't let the Dai Li recognize you."

"I know." You grabbed your bag and began counting the coins you had left, "I've dealt with them plenty of times before, you just worry about not dying."

He hummed, exhaling out his nose in a sort of laugh without triggering a coughing fit, his eyes still peacefully closed. "Thank you, (Y/n). I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

You sighed, pulling the bag over your shoulder as you pulled open the door to Zuko's room. "You don't have to." You said over your shoulder, with a small smile as you quietly closed the door behind you.

·⇩⇩⇩·

The upper ring wasn't nearly as crowded as you thought it would be. It was clean and quiet, the roads paved with brick instead of dirt. The houses and buildings that lined the streets were big, beautiful, and extravagant. People were quiet. Shops were quiet.

It was too quiet.

Nevertheless you took a deep breath as you enjoyed the fresh air, the rain pittering lightly against the top of your umbrella as you walked the streets. Kids ran freely around the neighborhood, play-fighting and giggling as they carelessly ran past adults having quiet conversations.

Even after spending nearly a month in Ba Sing Se and avoiding heavy topics such as the war, it still was strangely surreal hearing nothing about the battle and instead simple words about the weather and other meaningless topics.

You had to admit, it was extremely smart of Iroh to bring Zuko here directly after being marked on the fire nation's wanted list. This truely was the safest place from the outside dangers of the war.

And now you knew why.

You eyed Dai Li agents stationed at every block as you made your way towards a small market place where all kinds of produce was being sold. They were still everywhere; sometimes in groups of five or more. You wondered if this was normal for the upper ring or if it was because of what you and Zuko did under Lake Laogai. Then again, you had been hearing rumors that the Dai Li was getting dismantled all together. You didn't know what to believe.

You swallowed heavily. There was no doubt they knew the same girl they chased profusely around the city for theft had something to do with this. You knew you wouldn't be able to go out stealing here any time soon.

A splash of blue soon flashed at the edge of your vision as you turned to see a girl a little younger than you at a fruit stand. Her clothes were quite evidently not from this nation; a light blue short-sleeved tunic dress and what could only be some type of watertribe engagement necklace. Her beautiful dark hair was pulled back into a tight braid and she had a small, unfamiliar lemur-like animal perched on her shoulder. 

Your eyes widened.

Southern Water Tribe.

You sucked in a breath, staring after the peculiar girl as she talked with the lady at the fruit stand. What in the hell was a Southern Watertribe Native doing in Ba Sing Se without any cover? And in the upper ring no less?

You gasped as you bumped into a passing Dai Li agent, letting out a yelp as you stumbled over your feet and fell into a puddle with a painful grunt. Your vision went dark momentarily as the coldness of the water seeped into your clothes. Shit. You shouldn't have let your guard down.

"Oh spirits! Are you okay?"

You pushed yourself up into a sitting position, shock from the fall subsiding as you soon realized your knee was scraped. Blood ran down the side of your leg as you looked up to be met with two deep blue eyes.

"O-oh, yeah!" You laughed quietly as she knelt down beside you. "I just wasn't watching where I was going. I'm fine, really."

She seethed a bit at your injury before sending a hard glare after the Dai Li agents that didn't even pause to check on your well-being. "Ugh. I can't believe the king still keeps them around after all this...they're so rude." She stuck her tongue out at them childishly before turning her attention back to you. "But, anyway! I'm a waterbender, I can help you heal that if you want me too."

"A...waterbender...?" You blinked. So this wasn't some strange dream.

"Yep. I'm Katara, I'm here with my brother from the Southern Water Tribe, though he's off visiting our father at the moment. Oh, and this is Momo." She answered, gesturing to the lemur prodding at your sleeve before taking the water from your clothes and elegantly forming it into a ball at her hands.

This week just keeps getting weirder.

"I'm (Y/n). Earth Kingdom once-nomad-now-refugee." You returned her welcoming smile, deciding to keep where you worked and whatnot a secret as you scratched the small animal's head, considering you knew that the Avatar was with two water tribe natives and didn't want to risk anything. "I'm staying here with by boyfriend and his caretaker, we just recently moved up here a few days ago."

You watched as the water stuck to her hands and emitted a soft white glow. Carefully, she rested her hands over your injury as pins and needles seemed to erupt in your leg. Within moments the wound was nothing but a memory, not even a scar was left.

"Wow, that was quick." You giggled, pushing yourself to your feet and testing your leg out. "Thanks."

"No problem," she said, dusting off her tunic as she stood up as well. "Since you're new here...maybe I could show you around? It's awfully boring here after a while."

"That would be great, actually." You picked up your bag and fastened it over your shoulder again, taking a breath as you recovered from the shock of your fall. A smile crossed your face. "Do you happen to know anywhere I could buy some ginger?"


	20. Chapter 20

Katara took you to a small tea shop a few good blocks away from you, Iroh, and Zuko's apartment. You made extra sure to steer her clear away from the Jasmine Dragon, considering based off all the stories Zuko told of his travels the waterbender wouldn't take too kindly to seeing the retired general around the city of Ba Sing Se.

The shop was small, but charming. A little building wedged in a busy street filled with all kinds of stores and restaurants. You made sure to keep a mental note of the location as you and Katara made basic conversation while you walked.

The girl was interesting, you'll give her that much. She told you about the upper ring of the city and how the Dai Li was causing all sorts of problems for the Earth King, who was still working on dismantling it. Her brother was off visiting their father, so she was alone in her house for about a week or so.

You told her about some of your travels, even some things about working with Hakoda, her father, from time to time. You figured, maybe, that if things stayed as you hoped, the two of you could grow to be good friends.

"You've met my father?" Katara gasped, her eyes sparkling with wonder. "Really?"

"Mhm." You smiled at her eagerness. "I helped him raid a Firenation camp about a year ago after he found me passed out on a beach." You giggled.

"Wow..." She gaped, with a sigh as she sat back in her chair. "The world is so interesting. I've met so many people I never knew had that kind of a connection to my family."

Your smile dropped a little. A question was brewing in the back of your mind the entire time you and Katara had been talking, and the longer you looked at the young waterbender the more the question sat on your tongue like a stone.

"Sorry if this is a little too personal for having just met you, but I have to ask..." You lowered your voice a little, your gaze growing serious and a bit solemn as you leaned further against the small table in the corner of the tea shop. "I thought the Firenation had wiped out all the Southern Benders from existence?"

She sighed, shaking her head as her hand seemed to subconsciously reach up to touch her necklace. "Almost." She explained, breaking eye contact as she stared at the table. "I'm afraid my mother died protecting the last one in the whole South Pole."

Your grip on the tea cup tightened as your heart dropped a bit in your chest. "Oh..." you choked on your words before dropping your gaze, quickly regaining your composure. "I'm sorry to hear that." Your sorrow ignited a small flare of anger in your chest which you quickly put out with a sigh. "Azulon, I swear...if he wasn't already dead I'd personally beat his face in."

She let out a small giggle, despite the topic of the conversation. "What about you?"

You hummed, sipping your tea.

"Are you a bender?"

You shook your head before answering with a vague and blunt, "nope."

You looked up again, meeting her gaze as she sipped her tea and blew a stray strand of hair from her face. Her blue eyes trailed rather nonchalantly down to your hands, and your instincts kicked in as you flinched and pulled them under the table. Shit. You should've worn your gloves.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stare." She apologized immediately, embarrassed as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I just..."

"You wanna know what happened?" You finished for her.

"Yeah, I guess I do." She traced the rim of her cup with her finger, "if it's okay with you...I know we just met."

You felt yourself begin to relax again as you shrugged. Carefully, you pulled your hands back up and onto the table as she gently took them in her own. She took a small breath as she ran her cold thumb over the rough, leathery skin. You held back a flinch. Even after all these years, other people touching your scars was something a little taboo for you, especially considering you were much more used to touching much warmer skin.

"These scars are so old..."

You hummed, gently pulling your hands away again as you rolled up your sleeves to show how they snaked up your arms. "My people were all captured in a fire nation raid to my city. I tried to stop them, but I was too late." You answered, before quickly adjusting the sleeves of your kimono again. "I was only ten."

Katara frowned, her eyebrows furrowed with sympathy. "You think they're still alive after all this time?"

"I know they're alive." You answered quickly, "the general that captured them wanted them alive. They have to be somewhere...I just haven't found them yet."

Her expression quickly turned to one of determination as she nodded, pushing herself to her feet as Momo scrambled to climb back up onto her shoulder. "(Y/n)." She met your gaze again, holding her hand out, "I would like you to come with me to help aid us in an attack against the fire nation."

"I--" You gaped at the sudden offer, glancing around in surprise at the faces that turned towards the waterbender at her sudden declaration. You kept your voice low as you leaned against the table, "Katara, are you crazy? Without any benders that would be practically suicide!"

"I never said the Southern Water Tribe would be doing it alone." She smiled, finally lowering her voice to avoid any possible eavesdroppers, "after all, I'm here with Avatar Aang to plan an invasion. We plan to attack the fire nation on the day of Black Sun." She smiled, "you've been all around the world, (Y/n), you would be of fantastic help in finally defeating Lord Ozai."

Your eyebrows furrowed in shock at her sudden offer. You had been so busy looking after Zuko and helping with the tea shop that you had almost forgotten about your quest and Ozai's heightening impatience. 

Almost. 

"What's in it for me?"

"Your family, silly." That welcoming, motherly smile was back. "I'm sure Aang would be very happy to help you find your people once we're all back in one place."

You looked away again, conflicted.

God, why was everything testing your loyalty lately?

First running into Zuko, Jet manipulating you into working with him, and now this? 

It was like the world was trying to tell you something.

Your heart tugged towards Katara's offer, which went against everything in your former plan to use the Avatar's reward money to bail your family. But, obviously, was the more peaceful route to go.

And also one that would surely lead to to a painful and slow execution by Ozai himself.

You inhaled, your fists clenching as you tried to hide your indecisiveness. "I have to go."

Katara blinked, her shoulders dropping in disappointment, "really?"

"Yeah." You picked up your bag and put it back over your shoulder, shooting her a small smile to assure her you weren't nearly as troubled as you were. "I'll...I'll think about it. Going with you would mean leaving a lot of things behind, I just need to get my thoughts in order. "

You turned to leave.

"Wait-- (Y/n)-- before you leave--"

A cold hand fell on your shoulder and you turned to your shorter friend.

"Before you leave I wanted to ask...what nation are you from?"

You smiled a little, "well, it wouldn't be a mystery if I told you, would it?" You turned again, pressing your hand against the wooden door of the tea shop as Katara stared after you with wonder, "it was really nice meeting you, Katara. Thanks for the tea."

You pushed the door open and stepped back out onto the rain-soaked streets, taking a moment to breath in the humid afternoon air before you started to make your way back to the apartment.

Spirits, that was exhausting.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now here's where shit starts to get interesting, lmao
> 
> Thank you all for all the overwelming support on this fic!!! <3 i absolutely LOVE reading all the comments and it makes me so happy that you guys like reading this as much as I love writing it. It's something a bit out of my comfort zone, ((considering a lot about (Y/n) still won't be revealed until later)) but I'm glad I decided to get this fic out there for y'all to read!
> 
> Hope you enjoy and see ya in the next update!! <33

The solemn loneliness of the castle around you almost seemed twice as magnificent and intimidating as before as you stumbled down the hallway. Out-of-breath and clothes dripping with firenation blood as your shaking hands clutched your beloved sword that dragged just barely across the floor. Your body shook with adrenaline and the exhaustion that came with it as the pale light of the moon spilled into the hallway.

You were on your way to kill Firelord Ozai.

A sick determination flooded your veins as your heart hammered in your chest. You steadied yourself despite your injuries as your walk melted into a steady run. The giant, magnificent door to Ozai's throne room was left cracked open and unguarded as you kicked it wide open with pride and determination.

Your grip on the sword tightened as you dragged it back up to face the Firelord, his back turned to you as the weapon let out a squeak against the floor.

"Firelord Ozai," you announced, your breathing still erratic as you spoke between breaths. "You and your ancestors have caused nothing but pain and suffering for the other three nations. Your genocide of the Air Nomads caused horrific amounts of destruction, pain, and unbalance in this world. And for that you must pay the ultimate price." 

The man before you didn't move a muscle, his inky black hair flowing down over his gold-accented robes. Red flames flickered and licked at the throne. He moved his head slightly to the side as he spoke in a raspy voice, "ah...(Y/n). I see you've returned, and without the one thing I asked of you."

"You're damn right I'm back!" You barked, your voice echoing with power. "The Avatar is useless. If he wants to continue wasting his time instead of facing you...then I'll do it myself."

The man hummed, "I see. You never struck me as the foolish type. I would've figured someone as skillful and cunning as you were would know better than to face me alone. Much less without any bending. It's almost a shame." He leaned his head against his fist, "it's funny how much people change over the years, don't you think?"

"You fire nation rats are all the same." You growled, clutching your sword. "You're all barbarians! You never had any pity when you burned and captured my people so don't you dare give it to me! If you have an ounce of honor left...you'd fight me and not sit there and treat me like a helpless toddler!"

You didn't have to look at the man to know he frowned in the silence, before a sigh left his lips. "You're family is dead, (Y/n)."

"You're lying!" You snapped, "I know you, Ozai, keeping them in your control would give me more of a reason to serve you. It would be damn stupid to just kill them if you could use them to lore me here, would it?"

Another moment of silence passed, before the Firelord started to chuckle, and eventually he threw his head back and laughed. It echoed into the abyss of the lonely palace as you slowly felt the determination in your veins melt into fear.

"Well look at that!" He laughed, wiping a tear from his eye. "If you weren't one of the most wanted war criminals in the world as of right now...you would make an excellent general. You have the spirit of a firebender, my friend."

Your heart beat fast in your chest. Something wasn't right.

"What? That's a compliment." He snorted, "After all, we both know you didn't defeat those soldiers with just that sword, didn't you?"

Your hands began to shake as you suddenly felt small. "Wha-- what are you saying?" 

The man turned, revealing an all-too-familiar bright red, distorted scar across one of his narrow eyes. He smiled a prideful smile at you, his golden eyes meeting your's as your heart shattered into a million tiny pieces.

"So tell me...(Y\n) of the Southern Water Tribe..." Zuko snarled, standing to his feet, "where exactly was it that you got a hold of a Firenation sword?"

·⇩⇩⇩·

You jolted awake with a gasp, your heart beating a million miles an hour in your chest as you clutched the blanket draped over you with so much force your knuckles were turning white. Your hand shot out to the side of your bed to graze over the cold, metal handle of your beloved sword as the panic melted away from your muscles.

Your gaze settled around the nearly-empty room as you took a few deep breaths. Sunlight seeped in through the window behind you and you turned to look out of it, the sound of birds chirping and people passing the streets broke through the quiet.

It stopped raining. Finally.

A groan left your mouth as you fell back against your pillow, your hand running through your hair as you struggled to remember your nightmare from moments prior. It was then you noticed the warmth that lay beside you as you fell asleep was no longer there.

You turned, your gaze settling on a dented pillow beside you and the blanket that once covered Zuko was now folded neatly in front of it. 

Your heart skipped a beat in your chest.

Quickly, you scrambled to your feet, throwing the blanket to the side as you quickly got dressed and stumbled out into the hallway and into the main room of the apartment. Your eyes scanned the room before landing on two men who turned to you, confusion covering their faces.

One was the familiar older man you had come to accept as your family and the other was the taller, raven-haired muscular teenager you spent the past few days caring for.

Zuko certainly still looked off--definitely a bit thinner now that he had gone a few days eating so little, and his eyes still had deep bags underneath them. But his skin had lost its sickly pale complexion and he was smiling.

Prince Zuko was Smiling.

And it only got wider once his gaze landed on you.

A gasp left your mouth before you rushed towards him, laughing with relief as you pulled him into a big hug. He quickly caught you in his arms, picking you up as he spun you around twice before landing you on your feet.

"You're all better!" You exclaimed, brushing his hair away from his bright eyes as you had done a million times before.

"And it's all thanks to you and uncle," he answered, planting a small kiss on your forehead as you giggled, hugging him tightly. "I wouldn't have been able to do it without you two."

"Well, not all better. Don't forget you should still take it easy for the next few days or so." Iroh advised, "wouldn't want you to end up getting hurt again."

"Relax, uncle," Zuko laughed. "I'll be fine. You two have worried enough about me...I've been through worse."

And neither of you argued with him.

"But, anyway..." he turned to you, gently gripping your scarred hands in his as you stared into his golden eyes. "I realized we've never really gone on an official date date, so..."

"Of course!" You laughed, "of course we can do that. I could show you a couple cool places I found around the city! Iroh, can we?"

The older man hummed, looking between you two as his gaze met his nephew's. He hadn't seen Zuko so happy since, well, he was the crowned Firenation Prince. That sparkle of happiness and content Iroh hadn't seen since the boy was thirteen was back full force. Though the prince's sudden new outlook on life obviously took him off guard, he knew that this was Zuko. The real Zuko. He sighed, "I don't see why not. But be careful...especially you, (Y/n), don't get recognized!"

The two of you were already hallway out the door before the retired general could finish his sentence as Zuko exclaimed over his shoulder, "We won't!"

"I wonder how all these refugees just seem to forget about the war when they move here..."

It was sunset, and the two of you found yourselves sitting atop an unfamiliar building as you stared off at the sun sliding down the sky into its purple grave. People buzzed around the lantern-lit streets, but the two of you were in no hurry. You shared a small, shoplifted bottle of alcohol as you traced the rim of the glass with your finger, your head leaning against the prince's shoulder.

You spent the day taking Zuko to some interesting shops, restaurants, and other beautiful places around the upper ring. He gladly followed you everywhere, you could've sworn he didn't stop smiling once the entire time the two of you were together. You both were completely at peace, away from the worries of the war, away from the nightmares itching at the back of your skull, and away from your life as a criminal. 

Both of you were almost completely safe here. Almost nothing was wrong. It almost felt like you could stay there forever.

But you knew deep in your heart that you could never truely be happy unless your family was freed from Fire Nation clutches.

You hummed at Zuko's question, snuggling into his side as you watched the sky grow darker, "I think they're brainwashed." You snorted, "Smellerbee said that Jet was, before he..." You frowned suddenly, before shaking the thoughts from your head and taking another sip of the awfully bitter drink. "Nevermind."

Zuko squeezed your hand. You still refused to talk about much with Jet, and he never forced you. Whatever had happened between you and the other nonbender was in the past, and Zuko felt bad that he wasn't there to comfort you when he passed.

You listened closely to the far-off sound of music in the distance, just quiet enough not to be a bother as a slow song was played by some street preformers.

The prince was caught a bit off-guard when you shifted to stand up. Dusting your usual kimono off, you turned to him, your sorrow forgotten as you spoke, "Prince Zuko..." You gave him a small mock-bow, before you held your hand out to him. "Mayhaps...I can interest you in a dance?"

Zuko blinked, before a snort left his mouth, "a dance? Really? I don't think anyone's done that in like one-hundred years."

"Oh my spirits." You gaped, "Ozai really was awful. You don't know how to dance?"

The prince's face lit up in embarassment and he scratched the back of his neck, "well, I--"

"Come on," you grabbed his hand. "I'll show you what my people do."

You intwined one of his firebender hands with your's as you guided his other one to rest on your waist. You started to sway, slowly and calmly as your forehead rested against his. "Just try not to trip over my feet...that happens sometimes."

This time you could make out the redness on his cheeks as he watched his feet to make sure he wouldn't mess up, "You've done this with someone before?"

"No, but I've seen my parents do it." 

The two of you stayed like that for a few moments, resting your forehead against his as you two simply enjoyed eachother's company in the quietness of the night. You didn't want to ruin the moment as Zuko got a hang on this whole dancing thing, but a question was festering in the back of your mind and you had to ask.

"Do you mind if I ask you something a bit personal?" You whispered, "I know you've answered it before, but...I wanna know why."

He didn't even tense up like he would've a week ago, instead, he sighed and opened his eyes to meet your's. You didn't have to say it for Zuko to know what you were going to ask. "I got it during an Agni Kai. A firebending Dual."

You closed your eyes, listening to him speak as you squeezed his hand comfortingly.

"When I was thirteen, I entered one of my father's war meetings in order to learn more about what it took to be a future Firelord." Zuko explained, "one of the generals had a plan to use a division of inexperienced soldiers as a distraction so that we could finally take over Ba Sing Se. I was young and stupid, and I spoke out against it. And doing so in my father's war room, I had disrespected his position as Firelord and his plan."

You sighed, "wow, that's..."

"Harsh? Maybe," he shrugged. "But I have a new family now." His smile widened a little as his hand rested carefully against your jawline, guiding your face inches away from his as you felt your heart skip at the sight of his golden eyes. "You and Iroh...you are my family."

He closed the gap finally between your lips as he wrapped his arms around your waist. You giggled as you kissed him back, his body warm compared to the sunset chill that sent goosebumps along your scarred skin.

"I think I love you, Zuko." You whispered, breaking away from the kiss for just a moment, your hand cupping his cheek as his warm hand covered your's.

He seemed a little taken aback, but his eyes sparkled and he smiled softly at you, "I love you too, (Y/n)."

For the first time in a while, Zuko felt truely happy. Free, even. The constant anxiety and despair that came with his chase for the Avatar was no more as he slowdanced there with you, under the stars and the moon. He realized the night before that he never needed Firelord Ozai's praise, or his love. His father set him up for failure, and Zuko wouldn't give the wretched man the satisfaction of seeing his son give into despair.

He only hoped that, maybe, you realized the same thing.


	22. Chapter 22

"Who thought when we came to this city as refugees, that I would end up owning my own tea shop." Iroh smiled, gazing around as the upper ring people buzzed about, making conversation as they seated themselves throughout the large space of the tea shop.

You sighed, leaning your tired head against Zuko's shoulder. Truely, this whole situation was a blessing. The entire month you had spent in Ba Sing Se was, dare you say, the best in your life. You felt at home there with Zuko and Iroh.

But all day your instincts have been screaming otherwise. You were being watched, followed by something. You just couldn't tell what.

"Follow your passion, Zuko, and life will reward you." The old man finished, putting a hand on his nephew's shoulder. Iroh chuckled, "I am very thankful."

Nevertheless, you smiled, "Congratulations, Iroh."

"The Jasmine Dragon will be the best tea shop in the city." Zuko said with a nod.

Iroh shook his head, "I'm just thankful that you two decided to share this special day with me. It means more than you know."

You smiled to yourself as Zuko gave his uncle a tight hug. It was a big juxtaposition to see the prince with this entirely new mindset, but it was certainly refreshing none-of-the less. He was finally enjoying himself, finally free of his past obsession with the Avatar.

A small part of you wished you could say the same for yourself.

"Now let's make these people some tea!" Zuko exclaimed, swinging an arm around your shoulder as you laughed and playfully pushed him.

"Like you even know how to do it right." You giggled as Zuko led you off towards the back room to get things situated. "No offense, but the ability to mix the herbs correctly is certainly not hereditary."

"Hey, at least I'm trying." He said, shutting the door behind him before facing you, his hand guiding your face up so your eyes met his. "Besides...I've got two great teachers to help me."

You smiled, your scarred hands trailing up his chest to adjust his collar--he never really could fasten it correctly. "Like we're actually going to be doing much tea making back here to begin with."

He let out a chuckle before leaning down to kiss you again, his hands resting on your waist as you felt his closeness warm your body. The prince deepened the kiss as you felt your heart flutter. Your hand reached up to run across his scar as you had done a million times before.

That is, until a shadow shifted in the window next to you.

You pulled away immediately, "wait." Your heart thudded in your chest as you ran to the window, peaking out of it.

"What is it?"

"Someone was just here." You insisted, pulling it open to look around as the breeze blew past your face. "I saw something pass by the window."

The prince sighed, "I knew there was a reason you were acting weird." He said, wrapping his arms around you as he rested his head on top of your's, he shifted a bit. "Wait...you brought your sword with you?"

"The same thing happened this morning when I woke up. I'm not taking any chances." You sighed, shaking your head.

"(Y/n)," he put his hands on your shoulders as he turned you to look at him, his expression contorted into one of seriousness, his golden eyes sparkling with worry. "No one will hurt you as long as I'm around, alright? This is the safest city we could possibly stay in. With the Dai Li being dismantled--we have nothing to be afraid of."

You screwed your eyes shut. The painful, familiar paranoia from your past life as a fugitive returning full force. You almost forgot what it was like, to be constantly on the look out for danger. And these strange past few hours seemed to bring it back full force. Though, obviously, you were doing a bad job at hiding it.

But, still, you calmed your raging heartbeat with a few deep breaths. You felt safe in Zuko's presence, the one place where Ozai couldn't get to you.

"You should head home." Zuko suggested, brushing his hand over your forehead as if making sure you hadn't gotten sick as well. "I've already talked to uncle about it this morning...we think the stress is just starting to get to you."

"But--"

"(Y/n)," he sighed. "You've saved my sorry ass, what, three times now? Taking your shift is the least I could do. You need to rest."

You dropped your gaze. Maybe he was right. Maybe you were just tired. You were in Ba Sing Se, after all, you had nothing to worry about. Nobody was coming to get you because not even the Great Dragon of the West could get in.

Well...

Maybe you should've used a different example.

"Maybe you're right," you mirrored Zuko's comforting smile. "thank you, Lee."

He chuckled at the cover name before tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, "I'll get back over there as soon as I can--maybe go meet up with that girl you ran into a few days ago."

Katara. You completely forgot about Katara.

Yet another worry to add to your growing pile of stress.

Nevertheless, you smiled and nodded as he gave you another quick peck on the lips and walked off, before you dropped your comforted façade and slowly shuffled towards the back door. You paused as you looked up to look at the sky, a bright blue as the sun shined brightly down on your figure. You let out a breath--it was already starting to get hot out. 

Though, still, a weird feeling itched at the back of your skull as you approached the main street. You felt suddenly unsafe as you frowned and scanned the passing civilians, your heart starting to beat heavily in your chest.

Someone was watching you, and you wouldn't rest until they were found.

Paranoid of being spotted by your stalker, you took to the quiet back streets of Ba Sing Se. It was debatable whether or not this was the safest route--but it would be harder to sneak up on you without all the extra noise.

A twig snapped and you immediately sprung into action, whipping around as you yanked your sword out. "Whoever's there better come out now." You growled, gripping your sword so tightly your knuckles were white. "I'm tired of chasing cowards."

Your eyes scanned sporadically around the empty alleyway, the only sound being the buzz of people on the other side of the buildings near you. 

You could hear your heartbeat in your ears.

Finally, the faintest sound of footsteps rang out behind you and you launched yourself into the air to land atop a wall. The stranger was a quick flash of yellow and green, brandishing no weapons other than her hands as you dodged and jumped your way up onto the roof.

You were sprinting now, ignoring the confused yelling of people as they spotted you jumping from building to building in broad daylight. Your heart hammered in your chest and a small, determined smile graced your lips at the adrenaline rush. You took a glance behind you and--

Wait.

A Kyoshi Warrior?

Quickly, you launched yourself to take a hold of a rope of lanterns and slid down onto the balcony of another building. The unknown girl followed suit without hesitation--what the hell was a Kyoshi Warrior doing in Ba Sing Se?

You didn't give yourself time to think it over as before you knew it the stranger was on the roof with you. Her grey eyes glinted with determination as her arms moved quick as lightning, backing you against the railing as she was aiming for your shoulders. 

You managed a disorienting kick to her chest, sending her flying backwards as you flipped over the railing and let out a yelp as you hit the dirt ground, your sword following with a loud clank.

"(Y/n)--!"

You scrambled to your feet just in time to see you had landed not two feet from a rightfully confused Katara.

"I-- uh-- kinda busy right now!" You said between breathes as you chuckled nervously before bolting off again.

"(Y/n)! Wait!"

"Get out of here!" You yelled back, your gaze focused on the stranger who was jumping rooftops and catching up fast. "I'll explain later!"

You launched into a sprint as you bolted off into an alleyway, exhaustion clawing at your muscles as you had fallen out of being used to this much running and chasing. 

You ran and ran and ran into another unfamiliar, empty alleyway. Your limbs screamed for rest but you wouldn't stop then even though you were almost certain you had lost them.

That is, until an extreme pain behind your shoulder blades caused you to yelp and finally trip, toppling once again into the dirt. Your heart beat a million miles an hour as you found yourself immobilized--your arms felt like they were stripped of any strength.

A chilling giggle rang out into the alleyway as two more sets of footsteps made themselves known. Your vision began to blur as you thrashed around and cursed like a fish out of water. "Who the hell are you? What did you do to me?!"

"Good work, Ty Lee." An unfamiliar female hissed behind you as you strained your neck to look. "I'm sure father would greatly appreciate you capturing his beloved a assassin."

"Why, thank you!" Your captor giggled, before placing a foot on your back to cease your attempts at pushing yourself upright without arms. "I have to admit, you did put up a good chase. That was fun! We should do it again sometime."

You growled and continued thrashing, "you're no Kyoshi warriors! You assholes! Let me go!"

"Oh, observant now, aren't we? Well..." The girl with the chilling voice spoke again, kneeling down and grabbing your chin. You grunted as she forced it up to her eerily familiar golden gaze, "...miss (Y/n), do you know who I am?"

You growled, burning, suffocating anger igniting in your chest like a furnace as you clicked things together in your mind.

Those eyes....

"You're Zuko's sister." You glared daggers at the princess, who smirked triumphantly at your fearful realization. That obvious satisfaction was short-lived, however, because you took the time to spit in her face. "And you disgust me."

The princess growled, running a hand down her features in obvious disgust as she dropped your chin painfully to the ground and stood up to her full height. 

"Take her to the most secure Earth Kingdom dungeon." She ordered triumphantly as Ty Lee and another fire nation girl tightly gripped your paralyzed arms and forced you to your feet. "I'll need only the most vigilant and strong agents watching her every move." 

Azula smirked at your glare, blood dripping down your face from the cut on your brow that had since been reopened. Dirt coated your clothes and face and you were thoroughly exhausted. The princess's chest filled with pride at yet another successful mission.

"After that," her gaze traveled up to meet with her two companions. "We join Zuzu and uncle for tea."


	23. Chapter 23

Zuko let out a small sigh, all the stress of the busy day melting away from him as he swept the entrance to the shop. The last of the customers were finally filtering out for the night--and the Prince found himself exhausted. Though, that was probably mostly due to the fact that he was still recovering. From both being sick and spending nearly two weeks out on his own with barely any food or water. It was remarkable he wasn't sick longer with all the stress he had been putting on his body the past few months.

But still, he, for one, couldn't wait to get back to the apartment and lay with you, talking about everything and nothing as you watched the sunset from your spot next to him on the bed.

Just the thought brought a smile to his face.

Spirits, he was head over heels for you.

He wasn't scared to admit it, either. The amount of times Iroh sat next to him while the prince rambled mid-fever all he could about you was almost uncountable. Though he knew how dangerous you could be from Iroh's vague stories--Zuko adored how kind and controlled you were. He'd even go as far to say he admired how well you kept your emotions in check.

Well...most of the time.

It wasn't long before Zuko helped Iroh finally close up the shop, after more good news arrived that they would be serving tea to the Earth King the next morning. Iroh was ecstatic, and it took all of Zuko's convincing to keep the old man from spending even longer at the tea shop planning. But before long, they were back at the apartment.

The banished prince rubbed his eyes as the door was unlocked, and he dropped his stuff beside the door as he walked inside the dark room. Pale moonlight filtered in through the window as he wondered if you had climbed up onto the roof.

"Well, it looks like my tea shop is going to be a great success!" Iroh said cheerfully, "Serving tea to the Earth King is going to be such an accomplishment. It's strange to think that ten years ago I tried to destroy this lovely city."

Zuko was only half-listening as he scanned the room for any sign of your return, and he was a bit surprised to see your bag not hanging on its usual place. Nor were your shoes by the door. "Do you think (Y/n) would be asleep by now, uncle?"

The old man hummed, looking around, "it doesn't seem that she was here at all, if you ask me. You know how she is...always sneaking out."

The prince grabbed a candle off a side table. Carefully, he lit it between his fingertips before quietly walking to your closed door. He knocked twice, "(Y/n)? You awake?" He whispered.

No answer.

He tried the doorknob to see it was unlocked, and the door creaked open as if it was never really closed to begin with. The prince bit the inside of his cheek as he scanned the neatly-organized space. Your sword wasn't even resting next to your bed as it usually was, and your blankets were folded neatly on the ground.

He checked the roof above your window...

Still, nothing.

Zuko hummed slightly, thinking about how paranoid you were when you left the tea shop earlier. He swallowed heavily, hearing Iroh push the door open further behind him as he spoke. "Maybe she's just out stealing again." He snorted, "what a strange girl..."

Iroh's remark didn't seem to ease any of the prince's anxiety as the old man frowned, "don't worry, my nephew." He smiled, "I assure you (Y/n) can take care of herself. Even if she were in any sort of trouble, I'm sure she'll make it back safely before sunrise."

The raven-haired male furrowed his eyebrows together, it was still very unlike you to go anywhere without a note. Though he knew he probably had nothing to worry about, his stomach turned with worry anyway.

"Yeah." He sighed, before making his way back to his own room. "Maybe you're right."

And just like that--your eyes blinked open. 

The world felt like it was spinning around you as you regained consciousness and for a moment you thought you were going to be sick. Your vision blurred into focus as you slowly became aware of the strength-draining pain that came from everywhere.

With a groan, you held your breath as you rolled over onto your back, seething through your teeth as your scraped-up hands rushed to meet your throbbing leg. Tears stung your eyes with every little movement as you gained control of your breathing again.

Where the hell were you?

The walls and the bars of your prison were all solid stone. Whoever locked you up must have knocked you out and thrown you in carelessly, before tightly locking your wrists into the cuffs that kept you chained tightly to the floor.

You grit your teeth.

Azula.

She locked you up so that she could get to Zuko. And getting Zuko would get her to the avatar.

She was sabotaging you.

The firenation was, once again, going to take everything from you.

The rage that ignited in your chest pulled you to your senses, you pulled yourself to your feet despite your wounded leg, thrashing against the chains violently as they dug into your skin.

"Hey!" A Dai Li agent shouted, slamming a rock against the metal bars as you stumbled backwards and landed painfully to the ground. "Stop thrashing around before I go in there and knock you out again."

You stifled a yell from the pain that erupted in your leg as you blinked away the tears stinging your eyes. You needed to devise a plan. And fast.

Focus. 

Breathe.

Taking in a shaky breath, you pushed yourself back to a slouched standing position. Your limbs shaky with exertion and heart still pounding, you pulled against the chains with all your strength.

Your heart skipped when you felt them start to give under the dirt. You did it again and again, until blood dripped steadily down onto the floor and you smirked. If there was one other thing about Firebenders you learned over time; it was they always seemed to underestimate non-benders. You could escape this prison easy-peasy; you just needed the right distraction.

After about twenty minutes of tugging and resting and bleeding and panting, the chains snapped. 

Your vision blurred as you stumbled to the side, the Dai Li guarding you shifted at the sound and turned to fumble with the keys and open the door.

Like clockwork, you used the grooves in the stone rock to climb to the closest part of the ceiling you could get. The shadows concealed you in the darkness of the tall cell as you forced your breathing to slow almost to a stop; though you were almost certain your raging heartbeat would give you away. Your muscles screamed for rest and your vision was starting to darken the longer you stayed there.

The Dai Li stopped in confusion as they looked around the empty cell.

"Seems like that princess wasn't kidding...how in the...?" The first agent questioned, leaning down to pick up the mangled chains.

"She's no normal non-bender." The second agent frowned, before moving to step out of the cell. "Let's alert the others, she can't be far." 

It was then that your bleeding wrists failed you, and with a curse and yet another painful fall; you slipped.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a short chapter today folks!!!  
> I promise the next few updates after this will make up for it tho, lol

Well, this was bound to happen eventually.

Your body was running on nothing but pure adrenaline as you sprinted blindly down the cold, dark hallways of hell-knows-where. You weren't sure if you were in the Earth Kingdom prison or in the Lake Laogai catacombs, but you didn't have time to figure that out.

Your leg screamed with pain as you rounded a corner, stumbling as your footsteps along with the Dai Li trailing a little far behind filled the small hallway. Though you had been in Earth Kingdom prisons before--they're layouts were always different. They zig-zagged around like an insane, cleverly-built labyrinth, and were almost always pitch black.

Still, though.

Even in possibly fatal danger, Zuko's safety was all that filled your mind.

How long were you even down here?

Did Zuko figure out you were gone yet?

Was it morning? Was it the next day? How long had you been unconscious in that cell?

You yelped as you jumped over stones that rose up from the ground to try and block you in--the Dai Li now just barely behind you as adrenaline started to fail you. Your head turned to look around, devising a quick but risky plan in your head.

You had to fight.

Turning abruptly, you let out a yell as you sprinted towards the group of agents. Confused and caught off-guard, they stumbled to a holt as you jumped up to the roof of the tunnel and grabbed a hold of a rock.; successfully sling-shotting yourself over the agents as you continued running. You stumbled off towards an empty, dark hallway as you finally collapsed and pushed yourself against the dark wall.

You clapped a bleeding hand over your mouth and forced your breathing back down to normal as you listened to the Dai Li bark orders to eachother. Eventually, the sounds of their footsteps faded off down the hallway as you finally felt yourself start to relax.

Your entire body shook with exhaustion. Jail-breaking was certainly much more entertaining whenever you didn't have to worry about anyone but yourself. You leaned your head back against the stone and closed your eyes as you caught your breath.

"It really is such a shame."

Your head snapped up to meet a pair of familiar orange eyes. Azula's cold glare pierced through your being and sparked a small flare of fear in your heart. Obviously, this princess was the one who inherited Ozai's sick apathy. 

"Seeing a powerful non-bender such as you, a great possible asset to the Fire nation, waste your talents constantly running from everyone...don't you think?"

Your chest flared up with anger, but you wouldn't give her the satisfaction of seeing you lash out.

You need to stay calm.

"Zuko." You seethed, the pain hitting you full force once again as the adrenaline started to wear off, "tell me where Zuko is."

She smiled, placing her hands on her hips as you soon became aware of your sword on her belt. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough. Now, we can either do this the easy way or the hard way."

Azula kneeled down to your spot on the ground. You tried to back away further but to no avail. She placed a finger below your chin and trailed your face up to meet her gaze. Her nail scraped against your skin as her eyes sparkled. "I just have a few questions for you. Answer them truthfully and I'll send you back to your cell without any problem. If you fail to do this, I'll break your other leg and send you off to see just where we'll be keeping your beloved Zu-Zu."

You stayed silent, never lowering your gaze as you stared coldly back into her eyes.

If Azula would just move her arm a little to the left...

"So tell me, I'm very curious..." She began, a sick smile slowly forming across her face. "Why exactly did you make that deal with my father?"

And...

Now!

You took her arm and twisted it until the princess let out a painful yelp before you yanked the sword off and continued to stumble down the hallway. Your injured leg and over-exhilarated body failed you, however, because you weren't fast enough.

A faint crackling filled the air before a painful jolt shot through your whole body. You let out a shriek as you toppled to the floor, tumbling until your back hit the wall. The pain was immeasurable, and your eyes watered as you held your breath and curled into the fetal position, tears finally stinging your eyes as you let out a pathetic sob.

"Typical." Azula sighed, though her voice was fuzzy and quiet in your ears. "Well...I guess even after everything, a cowardly, selfish water-native is still a cowardly and selfish water-native."

"You..." You blinked your eyes open, "do what you want to me! Just don't hurt Zuko!"

"Oh, we get it! You're in love." Azula mocked, before picking your sword up again and grabbing the back of your shirt and forced you back up to your feet. "Now get up and walk...I didn't shock you enough to kill you."

Silent tears slid down your face as Azula kept a tight hold of your bleeding and bruises wrists. It took everything in your power not to snap, to keep yourself controlled. You held your head low as you shakily stumbled after the princess.

But, still.

This was bound to happen eventually.


	25. Chapter 25

Katara grunted as she found herself conscious again, her head throbbed with pain as her eyes flickered open to find herself in unfamiliar territory.

Green crystals lined the walls of her prison, giving off a faint green glow that just barely lit up the room as she slowly pushed herself to her feet. Quickly checking herself over--she discovered she wasn't wounded. Only a possible slight head injury.

Where was she? 

Slowly, memories returned to her head as she pushed herself into a sitting position. Seeing you running from a Kyoshi warrior, seeing Zuko at the tea shop, and then getting knocked out.

Spirits, it felt like a fever dream.

The waterbender's thoughts were interrupted, however, because she spotted a familiar unconscious body sitting slouched against the wall a bit further away.

Her heart jumped in her chest.

"(Y/n)!" She exclaimed, quickly scrambling over to help her friend.

Your face was pale and your breathing was shallow. You remained unresponsive even as Katara tried to gently shake you awake. Your wrists were both bruised and bleeding--parts of your green kimono ripped off and tied around them to try and stop the blood. Your leg was acutely broken--and you were covered in all sorts of other small scrapes and bruises.

Katara gently grabbed your shoulders and lay you down into a more comfortable position, you let out a grunt as your face twitched. Thankfully, the waterbender had awoken before things got too bad. She took a few shaky breaths to calm her raging heartbeat--you weren't gone yet. You could still save her.

She tore off the small vial hanging around her neck by a string; the healing water the Northern Water Tribe had given her all those months ago. It sparkled in the faint green light.

Well...

She knew it would have to come in handy eventually.

With a quick tug, it popped open. The small amount of liquid inside sloshing slightly.

Suddenly, a loud, ear-splitting rumble echoed into the dark abyss of the tunnel as light spilled in through the entrance Katara had tumbled down. She stumbled away from you with a yelp, shielding her eyes from the light.

"You've got company." A voice rang out, undoubtedly a member of the Dai Li as the figure pushed someone down into the tunnel.

The stranger let out a small yell as he tumbled down and landed painfully on his side. The raven-haired male groaned, cursed, and rolled onto his back as he recovered from the shock of his fall.

Katara's heart back-flipped and she scrambled back against the crystals. She'd recognize that awful, jarring burn scar anywhere.

"Zuko?"

Zuko pushed himself up onto his elbows, dizzy and disoriented as the pain in his head dulled and he opened his eyes. His gaze snapped towards the familiar female voice, his breath hitched at the scene in front of him.

The avatar's waterbender companion was standing over your unconscious figure, her expression contorted into one of shock as she clutched a small vial close to her chest.

You looked awful.

You looked dead.

Rage filled the firebender's chest, and with a quick, impulsive movement, he kicked a wave of bright hot fire towards the girl. "Get away from her!"

Katara gasped and stumbled to the side, falling backwards against the stone in response to the wave of heat that just barely missed her skin. She stared on in shock.

Zuko let out a string of curses as he fell to his knees at your side, his shaky, panicked hands grabbing at his hair as if he was furious with himself, he whipped his head around to meet Katara's gaze. "You." He seethed, "what did you do to her?!"

Katara drew in a breath.

You knew eachother...

You were with Zuko this whole time and she trusted you! You're probably why she was stuck down in this labyrinth to begin with! How could you?!

Her hands clutched into fists. She had been warned to trust no one in Ba Sing Se...if only she had followed through and listened to that warning.

Now all her friends were in danger.

"Wha--I didn't hurt her! She's a friend!" Katara insisted, approaching the banished prince's slouched figure. "I woke up and she was unconscious! I was just trying to help!"

A small groan escaped your lips as your eyes fluttered open for just a moment. You muttered something incoherent as Zuko quickly turned his attention back to you.

"Stay with me, (Y/n). Please," Zuko insisted, taking your hand in both of his as he gave it a tight squeeze. "I can't lose you. I'm gonna get us out of here, I promise." 

The prince tore off part of his tunic as he began to replace your makeshift gauze, shaky and focused as he worked. Once he finished, he sighed and bowed his head so that it rested against his hands--which quickly got back to squeezing yours.

The waterbender found herself growing impatient and frustrated, why wasn't he doing anything? He should be attacking her! Katara regained her stance, her fists clenching again, "why did they throw you in here?"

Still, Zuko stayed silent.

Katara growled, starting to pace the stone ground. "Oh, wait, let me guess--it's a trap. So that when Aang shows up to help me you can finally have him in your little Firenation clutches...and (Y/n) was in on this whole thing too, wasn't she?"

The prince turned his head slightly, his gaze contemplative and almost unreadable before he turned right back to you. He watched your chest rise and fall slowly as you rested, and he squeezed your freezing hand tighter.

Katara threw her hands down to her sides, "you're a terrible person, you know that?! Always following us and trying to capture the Avatar? The world's last hope for peace!" She sighed, scowling as she couldn't bare to look at Zuko much longer, she crossed her arms and faced the other end of the tunnel. "But, of course, what do you care. You're the Firelord's son. Spreading violence and hatred is in your blood."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't? How dare you!" Katara exclaimed, her voice echoing into the tunnels around her, "you have no idea what this war has put me through! Has put (Y/n) through!" She furiously blinked away tears as she turned to once again face away from Zuko. "The Firenation took everything away from me."

The prince lifted his head again at the sound of Katara crying. All the anger from a few moments ago had faded as he thought about what you would do in this situation. Zuko squeezed your hand again.

He wouldn't let his anger get the better of him.

"I'm sorry." He kept his voice low as he turned to face Katara. "I guess that's something we all have in common."

The waterbender froze, the quiet sobbing slowed to a stop as she lifted her head and abruptly turned to the banished prince. 

Katara's blue eyes flashed in understanding. Her gaze no longer held anger as Zuko turned back to look at you. He didn't want to keep talking and then not be able to stop.

Katara stood to her feet, dusting off her clothes as she fumbled for the vial of spirit water again. Carefully, she approached you and the banished prince again as she walked up behind Zuko.

He didn't move to shoo her away. His eyebrows furrowed with worry as his eyes never left your face. She had seen that look before. A look of unconditional love, weakness, and uncertainty that she never expected to see coming from the banished prince.

It was, however, a look Aang often exchanged with her.

"She saved my life." Zuko spoke, ripping Katara from her thoughts as he moved to tuck some hair behind your ear. "If it wasn't for her...I don't know what I'd be doing right now. She showed me a new way of life...a way of letting my anger go and forgiving instead of dwelling on my past, despite her own way of getting by." He fought to keep his voice from wavering. "I owe her everything."

Katara moved to sit across from Zuko, on your other side as she lowered her head to listen for your heartbeat. It was still there...and slowly getting stronger. You would pull through with time, she didn't need to use the water unless you were in grave danger. 

Zuko sighed again, his tight hold on your hand never faltering. "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

"It's okay." Katara smiled forgivingly, "I know Aang would've done the same thing for me."

The prince hummed, his finger caressing your hand as you shifted slightly in your sleep. "I just...I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?"

The prince's eyes closed as he choked on his words, "I...my sister..."

Realization flashed in Katara's eyes as she looked up to meet Zuko's gaze. "Your sister's going to kill her if you don't cooperate." She finished for him.

Zuko swallowed heavily, nodding.

Just then, a blast rang out in the tunnels and a thick cloud of dust shot out from the side of the wall. Katara immediately shot to her feet, along with Zuko as they took a ready battle stance.

A cough sounded out through the cloud as it faded, revealing a small boy who waved the dust away from his face. He was completely bald, and a blue arrow stretched over his head, pointing down towards his nose.

An airbender.

The Avatar.

Katara gasped, before rushing forwards to engulf the boy in a hug, "Aang!"

Before Zuko even had time to react, he was nearly tackled as well by his uncle. Iroh hugged him tightly, not saying a word as Zuko hesitantly returned it.

Aang smiled, before his eyes met Zuko's. The Airbender shot a threatening glare towards the prince, one that caught Zuko off-guard. 

God, this night couldn't get any more damn strange.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is where shit goes absolutely bonkers oop
> 
> but anyway, I have a playlist put together of a bunch of songs that inspired this fic, figured y'all might be interest in it so-->  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5mvoLA4UdCnAug4dMJ3yV3?si=ih3nfKmZRh-3eXEHzpNnLQ 
> 
> hopefully that link works lol
> 
> but, anywho, hope you enjoy!

And just like that, Zuko's anger was back again. Something about Aang's smug glare turned something in his mind as Zuko glared right back with just as much, if not more, contempt. 

"Uncle, I don't understand." The prince struggled away from Iroh's grip as he took a step back, "what are you doing with the Avatar?"

Aang rolled his eyes, resting his hands on his waist, "Saving you that's what."

The prince growled as he lounged for the smaller boy, just as Iroh grabbed him to keep him restrained. "Zuko, it's time we talked." Iroh's voice was stern as he turned to face Katara and the Avatar, "go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you."

Aang quickly bowed a thank you, before rushing back into the tunnel as his footsteps echoed through the crystals. Katara trailed further behind, glancing over her shoulder as Zuko's gaze never left the ground.

Maybe the prince wasn't really all as bad as she thought. 

Nevertheless, she let out a breath, wiping a few stray tears away from her cheeks before she ran off to follow her airbender companion.

Zuko couldn't meet his uncle's gaze. Instead, he knelt back down to the ground to check your breathing and heartbeat again--which was getting stronger still. The anger he hadn't felt since the Laogai incident was back, and he forgot how much it hurt. He sighed, "why, Uncle?"

"You're not the man you used to be, Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you've ever been." Iroh explained, as the prince slid an arm under your back and lifted you into a sitting position. You let out a small groan, and your head fell forwards as your hair cascaded down over your face. Whatever was about to happen; his first priority would be your safety.

"And now you have come to the crossroads on your destiny..."

Zuko carefully set you against the wall, running a hand across your cheek as he pushed your hair away. 

"It's time for you to chose." Iroh's hand rested on the prince's shoulder as Zuko looked over to meet his gaze. "It's time for you to chose...good."

Suddenly, the ground shifted beneath Zuko's feet, the Prince yelped as he scrambled to keep his footing. More green crystals shot out from the Earth and in the blink of an eye--Iroh was pined by the green material.

The prince's gaze shot towards the direction of the attack and his eyes widened.

Orange eyes stared back as Azula scowled, brushing a stray black hair away. She looked unamused...bored, even. The Dai Li stayed in a rigid battle stance around her.

"I expected this kind of treachery from uncle..." The princess sneered, approaching Zuko as he stood protectively in front of you. "But Zuko, Prince Zuko. You're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor."

"Release him immediately!" Zuko demanded, ignoring his sister's words as venom dripped from his voice. "He had nothing to do with this."

Azula simply hummed in response, taking a step closer as Zuko once again took a step back. "It's not too late for you, Zuko." Her eyes drifted down to you as she smirked, "you can still redeem yourself, and no harm will be done."

"The kind of redemption she offers is not for you!" Iroh insisted, struggling to break himself free from his crystal prison.

"Why don't you let him decide, uncle?" Azula frowned, before she lowered her voice to a whisper, "I need you, Zuko. I'vie plotted every move of this day. This glorious day in Firenation history...and the only way we win is together."

Zuko looked down, his expression conflicted as thoughts shot left and right through his brain.

"At the end of this day you will have your honor back..." She took another step forwards, "you will have father's love..."

The Avatar was right there. If he went with Azula now he could go home. He could finally go home! And things would go back to the way they had all those years ago...he would return to his rightful place on the throne.

And you would be safe.

You would be right by his side. 

He could have everything he ever wanted.

But Iroh...

Zuko squeezed his eyes shut.

"You will have everything you want."

Iroh sighed sadly, "Zuko, I am begging you." His voice was sickly calm. "Look into your heart and see what it is you truely want."

The prince drew in a breath, letting out a growl of frustration as his hands traveled to the sides of his head. Way too much was going on, he couldn't think straight. His heart hammered in his chest as the possibilities of each decision filled his mind.

But he knew what he needed to do.

Blasts of every element filled the tunnel to the brim with chaos. Zuko was constantly on his feet, dodging and attacking with as much skill as he could muster as his golden eyes never left the avatar's movements.

He was desperate.

The prince's heart pounded in his chest as he sent wave after wave after wave of fire towards both Katara and Aang, staying to Azula's side as he did so.

"Zuko, watch it!"

The prince felt an unbelievably strong gust of air sweep him off his feet and launch him backwards into the crystal with a grunt. All the air left his lungs as his body tumbled to the ground. His vision blurred in and out of focus as he quickly went to push himself back up to his feet.

But something stopped him.

Someone bolted past the prince. The glint of a black blade being dragged haphazardly along with them just barely grazing the dirt.

A red substance ran down the side of the sword from a wound to the wrist, leaving behind a small trail in the dirt as the unknown figure ran.

Blood.

(Y/n).

"(Y/n), wait! Stop!" The prince scrambled to his feet and rushed to try and grab you, but he tripped and landed in the dirt. You were in absolutely no shape to be fighting. "Stop it! You'll kill yourself!"

Zuko was speechless as he watched you sprint into the battle field--barely fazed even when Aang sent an Earth-rattling blast to the ground that even knocked Azula off-balance.

Your breathing was ragged and quick, your wounds long forgotten as you forced your body forwards in a fit of blind rage. A yell left your mouth and you raised your sword, Azula's back drawing nearer and nearer before she turned and kicked you square in the chest, sending you tumbling backwards again as your sword clattered to the ground.

Silence shot through the room like a thick fog.

Nobody moved.

"The deal is long off, (Y/n). The second you ran off with my brother...you failed your mission." She sneered, staying in a ready battle stance as she scanned the shocked faces around the room. "It still saddens me that your bounty hunter talents were wasted on some little avatar boy. You would've been much better off as a Firenation assassin."

"You firebenders sicken me!" You wailed, struggling to get yourself back on your feet. "I will get my family back no matter the cost! I will get my revenge!"

"Oh, spirits, did you not know?" Azula raised her hand to her mouth in a mock-surprised manner. "Your little freak-of-nature sub-tribe is dead, (Y/n). Firelord Ozai made extra sure their executions were slow and painful for what they have created."

"Azula, stop it!" Zuko finally found his voice as he scrambled to his feet and rushed over. "We had a deal."

The princess only smirked at her brother, "the deal was that you made it safely back home to father as a hero." She hummed, lifting her chin high as her nose scrunched up in disgust at you. "Though I did say no harm would come to her...I do think we can make some use of the orphan."

Silent tears started to stream down your face as you gripped the dirt beneath you, "stop it! I'm not an orphan! you're a liar! I saw you take them onto your ships! He said he wanted them alive!"

"So that we could torture them into giving up your location." Azula explained, "when they refused to cooperate, we exterminated them. Simple as that."

"Shut up!"

"Seriously, (Y/n). You've broken in and out of just about every high-security prison in all the nations. You can't tell me you have never once even considered the fact that they--"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Your voice almost seemed to rattle the crystals surrounding the cave as you shot your arms out suddenly, your fists tightening as you brought them up over your head.

In an instant, Azula let out a yelp as her body shot towards the ceiling and slammed back down to the ground.

Zuko watched on in terror, frozen to his spot as a realization struck him and his heart almost seemed to stop in his chest. Your shaky hand was raised towards Azula, almost as if you were bending something that made the princess stop completely in her tracks. 

His wide eyes snapped towards the other two shocked faces in the room--the prince's betrayal suddenly forgotten. Katara's eyes were terrified as she had stepped away, her hands clasped over her mouth while Aang stayed put in the Crater he created moments before.

But it wasn't the fact that you were bending that had you all so hopelessly confused...

It was the fact that you were somehow bending a living being.

You rose to your full height, your breathing heavy as you kept your hands out. Azula thrashed, gasping as she appeared to be pinned to the floor by an invisible force, her limbs contorting into almost unnatural positions as she cried out in pain. Your hand shook as you kept it pointing at her and you walked calmly towards her.

"Your ancestors took everything from me..." Your fist tightened and Azula cried out in more pain. "And I was foolish enough to forgive you! But I see now that you're all the same...and that you're all too far gone to change."

Your face turned and your gaze met his. Your eyes were frantic. So full of pent up helplessness, rage, and terror that you had kept bottled up for years. He found himself frozen to where he stood as he knew you saw that he abandoned Iroh back in the caves. He knew your statement moments before not only applied to Azula, but to him, too.

And he was, admittedly, terrified. 

Zuko found himself backing away.

And that seemed to strike a nerve in you, because you loosened your bending grip on Azula, your breathing coming fast and shaky as you stumbled backwards, hands running through your hair.

It was then that Zuko caught sight of the blue spark emitting from his sister's fingers.

"(Y/n) look out!"

Quick as lightning, Zuko launched himself at Azula, the bolt left her fingers. It flashed in the air as it bounced off the crystal wall and Zuko tumbled to the ground with a painful grunt.

But it didn't strike the rpince.

Aang let out a soul-shattering scream as he was knocked backwards against the floor, electricity crackling around him as he twitched and curled up into the fetal position--smoke sizzling against his burnt clothes as Katara let out a cry of agony and rushed to his aid.

Your knees buckled beneath you as you stared on at the scene before you in horror. Your face scrunched together as your arms went limp at your sides and you sobbed uncontrollably, your body shivering as you felt as though you were going to be sick.

Zuko knelt down to comfort you, pulling you close to him as he didn't know what else to do. 

The Avatar was dead.

A flash of fire across the cave caused Zuko to flinch away, keeping you as close to him as he could as he stumbled back.

The prince caught a flash of a familiar grey-haired man as he leaped down from the side of the cave, landing in front of Katara and the Avatar just as the Dai Li started to surround them. "You've got to get out of here!" The man yelled to the girl, "I'll hold them off as long as I can!"

Zuko held you tight as he felt Azula rest a hand on his shoulder. The young firebender watched in shock as Katara escaped in a flash of water and Iroh was soon captured and arrested.

"We did it, Zuko." Azula's voice was hoarse. "After one-hundred years...the firenation has finally conquered Ba Sing Se."

"I betrayed Uncle." He whispered under his breath, gripping you tightly from his spot on the ground.

He should'vie felt happy. 

He thought he would feel happy.

But as the prince watched the only member of his birth family who had ever believed in him get arrested, and held your unconscious body in his arms...

All he felt was despair.

"No," Azula insisted, shaking her head as she knelt down in front of him. "He betrayed you. And when we return home...father will welcome you as a war hero."

"But I don't have the Avatar." The prince insisted. "What if father doesn't restore my honor?"

Azula smiled, "the Avatar is dead, Zuko." She rubbed the deep bruises beginning to form on her neck. "But what we do have, is a rogue blood bender."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed :00!!  
> I'm very new to this website so I apologize in advance if I mess anything up JDJDJ


End file.
